An Unexpected Predicament
by Holz9364
Summary: Harry begins Auror training the September after the war ends. His partner is Neville Longbottom, his old friend, but feelings arise that cause Harry to question not only his relationship with Ginny, but every other aspect of his life. As he tries to deal with confusing feelings for one of his best friends, he's also struggling with PTSD... Harry/Neville.
1. Auror Training Begins

**An Unexpected Predicament**

**Chapter 1 – Auror Training Begins**

_**A/N: So this is pretty different from anything else I've written before. It's Harry/Neville, initially friendship but developing into more. I love this story, I love writing it because its such a breath of fresh air from the more common pairings. I just hope there is a section of the HP fans who agree with me and will actually read it! **_

_**My depiction of Auror training is based pretty heavily on the British Army, from what I know from friends who are in it. So apologies if my depiction is dreadful or stereotypical, it wasn't my intention, I promise!**_

_**As usual, I own nothing but the idea for the fic. I'm just tweaking JK's amazing story and characters! I hope everyone is in character, fingers crossed!**_

_**Well, Enjoy! :)**_

* * *

When Harry woke up on the 1st of September and realised he wouldn't be returning to Hogwarts he felt out of place. It made things both easier and harder when he considered the fact he had missed his last year. He would be going to the station anyway, to see Ginny off. At the moment Grimmauld Place was a little bit busy, a hub for the heartbroken of sorts.

Harry had left for the house not long after the final battle, and he hadn't been surprised when Hermione and Ron followed him. In the long run Hermione had wanted to find her parents, and Ron needed to go home to help the family deal with Fred's death, but they weren't ready for that just yet. They had stayed for a week or so then left, Ron to go home and Hermione to search for her parents. Sometime towards the end of June Ginny came round and sort of moved in, she couldn't cope with the burrow and the fact everyone was miserable all the time, she wanted to get away for a while, so here she was. Harry didn't particularly mind, he enjoyed the company.

He and Ginny attempted to rekindle things, but it was a slow-process which was still on-going now in September. They weren't together, but they weren't denying that they had feelings for each other either, it was complicated. Ron and Hermione were both back too, Hermione had found her parents and Ron had moved back in shortly after Fred's funeral. They were sort of unofficially together, but considering they were planning to get a flat together in London, it was official to all who knew them.

Around Harry's birthday Luna had arrived on the doorstep, her Father had been forced to go away for a couple of weeks for work so she wondered if she could stay. She said she didn't feel safe home alone anymore, Harry didn't blame her.

'Alright kids, you ready?'

Ginny rolled her eyes, 'Kids?'

'Well you're still at school,' Harry reasoned with a smirk.

Luna smiled at this and said, 'We are only one year younger than you Harry.'

'That's not the point,' Ron said with a wave of his hand, 'You're still my baby sis Gin, and Luna, you're still my baby sisters friend.'

'Personally I think Luna and Ginny are more mature than you Ronald,' Hermione pointed out with a smirk as they left Grimmauld Place and huddled on the doorstep.

'I agree with that statement,' Ginny said with a chuckle.

'Can you apparate Luna?' Harry asked, he knew Ginny could but he wasn't sure about Luna.

The Ravenclaw nodded and Harry told the others to go, saying he would follow with their luggage. When they all arrived outside the station in an alley it was a mad rush to get through Kings Cross and onto Platform 9 ¾. It felt like home to Harry almost, and it was with a pang that he realised he wouldn't be getting on the train with Ginny and Luna.

The platform was crowded, nothing looked any different from any other year. It was like things had just gone back to normal, but Harry knew they weren't normal again, not yet anyway. It had only been a few months since the final battle.

'Have a good year,' Harry said as he hugged Luna, and then turned to Ginny.

'Promise to write?' Ginny asked as she hugged Harry.

'Promise,' Harry said with a smile.

'I'll miss you,' Ginny admitted with a sigh.

'I'll miss you too,' Harry said as he hugged her again, 'I'll see you at Christmas,' he added as he kissed her on the cheek.

Ginny nodded and with a quick hug to Ron and Hermione rushed onto the train with Luna. Harry, Ron and Hermione waited on the platform as their friends waved from the window and the train sped away.

'Kind of wish I was going back with them,' Ron said with a sigh.

'Me too,' Harry said honestly.

'I'm quite glad it's over to be honest,' Hermione said, 'starting a job seems the next step. I don't think I could go back to school after last year.'

Harry nodded, thinking about the following Monday when he would begin Auror training. Ron had contemplated it too, with the high standards required to become an Auror having been changed. So many had died in the war that the numbers were greatly needing to be increased so the rules had changed, to qualify for training a person had to have fought and survived in the final battle without switching sides. In the end Ron had decided to sign as co-partner of the shop with George. He was struggling with Fred's death, but the shop was to stay open for business. As George had said, it was more important than ever in the aftermath of the war for people to be able to laugh. Ron had already been working for the last couple of months, but Harry and Hermione began their new jobs in mid-September.

Ron and Hermione were moving into their new flat above Diagon Alley in the next week, and Harry would soon be leaving Grimmauld Place too. Auror training was as intensive as ever, despite the drop in entry requirements. For three years he would be going out on training missions and going to lectures at the training centre, but he would also be assigned a partner on his first day of training, and as part of training he was required to live with that person in accommodation paid for by the Ministry for the remainder of training. Luckily the Auror training centre was based in London, so he would always be close to Ron and Hermione. He was miles and miles away from Ginny however which was the only downside to the whole thing.

* * *

'Good luck today Harry,' Hermione said as she dropped in to Grimmauld Place with a plate of toast, 'try and eat something.'

Harry nodded and swallowed, he was incredibly nervous. Today was the day he started Auror training, 'thanks Mione. Shouldn't you be at work?'

'I still have half an hour till I start,' Hermione said, and to Harry it still looked odd, seeing her in a black skirt and a white blouse, she looked so professional. Hermione had gotten a fairly minor position in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, but she planned to work her way up.

'Oh, okay,' Harry said as he picked at the toast.

'Harry, you have nothing to worry about. I bet training will be a walk in the park compared to the things you've done in your life,' Hermione said with a smile as she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, 'and I bet there will be someone there you know. There's been a lot of applicants this year with the changing rules and all.'

'Yeah, you're probably right,' Harry said, giving Hermione a genuine smile and relaxing a little.

'You'll be fine,' Hermione assured him as she threw some floo powder into the fire of Grimmauld Place and kissed him on the cheek, 'come by the flat tonight if you can, to tell Ron and I how it goes.'

'Sure, course I will,' Harry promised with a smile as Hermione walked into the flames and vanished.

Glancing at his watch Harry got up and took a deep breath. He grabbed his coat, left the house and apparated to the training centre from the doorstep of Grimmauld Place.

When he appeared outside the training centre Harrys first thought was that it looked like it would fall down at any moment, it was obviously Victorian but looked like it hadn't been inhabited for years, possibly due to a fire due to the blackened exterior of the building and the long blown out windows. He then realised that this was likely due to anti-Muggle charms, to shield the place from prying Muggles.

He took a few steps closer and the building transformed, but not as much as he expected. The building still looked old, dingy and intimidating, but rather than having blown out windows it had bars on the windows.

'What is this, a bloody prison?' Harry muttered to himself.

'For the next three years it will be,' a wizard at the gate leading up to the old building said with a smirk, 'welcome to the Auror training centre recruit.'

'Thanks for the warm welcome,' Harry said sarcastically.

The man chuckled, 'Wait until you meet the folk who will be training you up,' he said, 'front doors just up that path.'

'Thanks,' Harry said gratefully as he began to walk up the path towards the building. He felt relieved when he got closer and saw others making their way through the front doors into the building which was a little more inviting on the inside, but that wasn't saying much. The walls consisted of dark wood paneling and an exposed wooden floor, the room was bare of hangings or décor, and even of furniture. The only thing in the room was a large wooden desk with a grumpy looking old woman sitting behind it.

Following the other 3 people Harry walked up to the desk and waited until he was first in line. He smiled at the woman and said, 'Hi, I'm Harry Potter, I'm here for Auror training.'

'Take the tag, three floors up, first door,' the woman drawled as if she was bored, she thrust a nametag into Harry's hand which he stuck on his shirt. He found a dark, dingy stairwell and like the woman had instructed he followed it up onto the third floor and entered through the first door he saw.

The room he emerged into was fairly small, but almost full. There was a circle of chairs arranged in the room and a blackboard at the front. It was fairly dark with small, thin windows. In the circle there were 11 seats, 8 of which were filled. Most of the people here looked about his age, a couple maybe one or two years older, yet he didn't recognise anyone and he felt as though he should have. People stared when they saw him, realising he was Harry Potter, it irritated him but he ignored the staring and whispering and sat down in one of the vacant chairs next to a blonde-haired boy.

'Hi Harry,' the boy said.

'Hey,' Harry said a little awkwardly as he tried to place this person, 'Sorry, do I know you?'

'Kevin,' the boy said with a smile, 'Kevin Entwhistle, we went to Hogwarts together.'

'Oh,' Harry said, feeling guilty immediately, 'right.'

'I was in Ravenclaw,' Kevin said awkwardly, 'we spoke a few times.'

'I don't remember, I'm sorry,' Harry said apologetically, 'so did you get in because you fought in the final battle?'

'Oh Merlin no,' Kevin said, he was very well-spoken and sounded very upper class, 'no I got in on my grades alone.'

'Right,' Harry muttered, immediately discarding the guy as a pompous ass and hoping he wouldn't be partnered with him.

As he looked around the room properly Harry did actually recognise a few people, he was surprised to see Seamus on the other side of the room, he grinned at Harry when he saw him and Harry couldn't help but wonder how long Seamus would last here. He also recognised Susan Bones, a Hufflepuff who had been in his year at Hogwarts and who he knew had been part of the DA, as he recalled she had also fought rather well in the final battle. However he didn't recognise the other 5 people in the room, but they all looked slightly older than him.

As Harry contemplated if this was everyone a man walked in, dressed in an Aurors uniform with a buzz cut and a lot of scars covering his face. He was grimacing at them all, probably not a good sign. He took one of the two remaining seats, leaving an empty chair between himself and Harry. He didn't say anything as he surveyed the group of recruits, Harry was beginning to feel incredibly uncomfortable until someone he knew well walked into the room.

'Neville!'

His fellow Gryffindor caught his eye and grinned, sitting down in the empty seat next to him, 'Hey Harry, can't say I'm surprised to see you here.'

Harry chuckled and said, 'I thought you wanted to do something quiet after the war?'

'Changed my mind,' Neville admitted sheepishly, 'I enjoyed the adrenaline rush.'

'Between you and me, so did I,' Harry muttered as the man in the Auror outfit stood up and addressed the room.

'I'm aware that our new Minister for Magic has changed the entry requirements so we can replenish our resources after our heavy losses in the war,' he said as he paced the length of the small square room, 'however I don't agree with his method. I've never seen a more sorry group of kids in my bloody career, and believe me I've been doing this a long time.'

'We did kind of fight in the biggest battle, ever,' Susan pointed out with a raised eyebrow.

'I don't care what battles you've fought in, or how many wars you've been through,' the man said curtly, 'the entry requirements to this programme may have been lowered but the standards we expect here have definitely not been,' he came to a stop in the centre of the circle and paused as he surveyed them all.

'Status means nothing in this building, I don't care how many dark lords you've killed or how many snakes you've beheaded,' he said as his eyes lingered briefly on Harry and Neville, 'in this building you are _all _recruits and none of you will get any special treatment. Am I understood?'

Everyone nodded and the man continued, 'there are 10 of you sitting in this room. By the time you emerge from this programme as fully-fledged Aurors there will be four of you left. One of you will probably die, two of you will be asked to leave, two of you will crack under the pressure and one of you will transfer to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement before the year is up.'

Everyone in the room was looking around at each other now, wondering who would be here by the end of the training period.

'That's right, have a good look around,' the man said, 'the people in this room are your competition. You will have two allies in this building during your time here, your training partner and me. My name is Senior Auror Sumner, and those of you who learn to do exactly as I say are going to be the ones who emerge fully qualified in three years' time.'

'Now get on your feet,' Sumner said, 'it's time for the grand tour.'

There was a flurry of movement as everyone rushed to get to their feet and follow Sumner out of a door and down a long, dark corridor.

'He seems like a cheery bloke,' Neville muttered sarcastically.

'This isn't exactly what I expected when I joined up,' Harry said honestly as they were led down winding corridors until they came to a stop.

'This is the hospital wing,' Sumner said, pointing into a fairly large bright room, 'trust me you'll all see it at some point in the next three years, if you don't you aren't doing your job right.'

He led them a little further along the corridor and down some concrete steps, 'this is the dining hall, you eat here three times a day. Meal times are at 7am, 12 noon and 6pm every day, miss it and you go hungry.'

Harry really hadn't realised quite how intensive this would be, as Sumner led them through more corridors to a different wing. Like most wizarding buildings this place was much bigger on the inside than it appeared on the outside.

'This is the training hub,' Sumner said, leading them into a large hall with a duelling platform that rose from the floor, 'you'll meet here at 7.30am every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for duelling practice. Next door through here,' Sumner said as he walked through a door into another sizeable room, 'is the fitness centre where you will spend your afternoons on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.'

The room was basic, with dummies to shoot at and weights to lift. It was raining outside so instead of taking them out to the outdoor area Sumner showed them through one of the cleaner windows in the duelling room.

'Outside in this area is where you will spend Tuesday and Thursday mornings,' he informed them, 'you run the track to increase your stamina, and you do the obstacle course until you can all do it in less than 30 seconds.'

Leading them away from the window Sumner took them up another level to a large library, 'This is where you'll find everything you need for your written assignments and exams,' he said, 'and over here is where you'll study,' he added, showing them into a large study hall across the hallway.

'You'll get your lecture timetable later today, you get 6 a week,' Sumner said as he took them up to the final level of the building, the attic floor where the windows were tiny slats that were so dirty you couldn't see a thing through them.

This hallway was long and thin with several doors leading off of it, the doors had plaques on them but none of them had names yet. There were 6 doors in total.

'This is where you'll sleep,' Sumner said, '5 dorms, you share with your allocated training partner. Each room has its individual bathroom and at the end of the hall you have a common room which tends to gather dust and never gets used. Any questions?'

'You never mentioned Saturdays and Sundays,' Kevin piped up, 'do we get the weekends off?'

Sumner laughed manically at this, 'Get the weekends off? No of course not! You have lectures boy, they could easily fall on a Saturday or Sunday! Most Saturdays you'll be training on the broomsticks, and usually you'll be in the potions labs on Sundays. You get time off when I say you get time off. You eat, sleep and work on this base, you leave when everyone else leaves. Got it?'

Again there were plenty of nods, satisfied that the new recruits had seen all they needed to see Sumner led them down to the duelling hall once more. Everyone was silent as they followed the Senior Auror, this was a shock for all of them, not just Harry. They all had ideas and expectations of what Auror training would be like, and none of them had imagined this.

They eventually ended up back on one of the lower floors in the duelling room where they were told to sit down in another circle of chairs that Sumner had conjured. He stayed on his feet as the recruits took their seats.

'The first two tasks you will be set with today are menial, I expect you all to be able to perform them. If you can't, you're walking out the door of this place for good, understood?'

Everyone nodded.

'Good. First things first, you're all going to introduce yourselves. Tell us a bit about yourself and why you want to be an Auror,' Sumner said curtly, 'after that I'm going to be pairing you up randomly for doubles duelling. Once I've seen who works well together, and who doesn't, I'll assess over lunch who your training partners are going to be.'

'What happens after lunch?' a woman with dark hair asked.

'I'll tell you that after lunch,' Sumner said sharply, 'so who wants to start us off? Potter, you seem to like talking about yourself to the papers, why don't we start with you?'

Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he spoke to the group, 'Uh…I'm Harry Potter, most of you probably know what I've been up to for the last couple of years if you've ever so much as glanced at a paper. Contrary to common belief I've only ever given one interview, and that was to the Quibbler in my 5th year,' he glanced at Sumner who seemed vaguely amused, 'and I want to be an Auror because I realised when the war was over that the only thing I'm actually any good it is kicking death eaters arses.'

'Good answer Potter,' Sumner said with a smirk, 'I think we're going to get on just fine. Longbottom, you're his sidekick, carry on.'

Neville chuckled and said, 'I'm Neville Longbottom, contrary to common belief I'm not Harry Potter's sidekick, I'd have to be ginger or female for a start,' there was some chuckling at this as Neville continued, 'I spent the last year leading the guerrilla war inside Hogwarts and I want to be an Auror because I like the adrenaline rush of being in a fight but I didn't really realise that until the war.'

'Well done for not mentioning snakes, clearly you're more modest than your Father,' Sumner said with an amused glint in his eye, 'he detailed everything of importance he'd ever done in his opening speech.'

At this Neville smiled, and Harry realised that Neville's parents must have gone through training together, Sumner had clearly coached them.

Sumner continued to go around the circle, and Harry listened carefully, getting to know the people who could theoretically be his competition.

'I'm Susan Bones, I was a Hufflepuff at Hogwarts and spent my whole school life being treated like a push-over. I joined Dumbledore's Army when I was in 5th year, and I fought in the Battle of Hogwarts. I knew I wanted to be an Auror from about 3rd year really, I guess it's just been my calling in life since pretty much all of my family have been involved in law enforcement in some way.'

Harry remembered Susan more than a lot of the others here because she had been in the DA. She had red hair, slightly lighter than Ginny's and green eyes.

'Me names Seamus Finnigan, I was in Gryffindor at school, part of the DA like a few others here and I did my fair share of fighting in the final battle. I helped blow up a bridge which took down tons of death eaters. I want to be an Auror because I enjoyed fighting in the war, I felt pretty good at it and I want to do it for the rest of me life.'

Harry and Neville were smiling slightly, they both liked Seamus but they had doubts on how long he would last. He _could _fight, but they doubted he'd do well in the potions lab, or on the brooms, or in the written part of the process in general.

'I'm Kevin Entwhistle, I was a Ravenclaw while I was at Hogwarts. I got the best grades I could have done in all of my subjects and I want to be an Auror because I want to do some good in this tragic post-war world,' Kevin said pompously, even Sumner snorted at this as he moved onto the next person in the circle who Harry couldn't believe he hadn't recognised until he spoke.

'I'm Lee Jordan,' Lee said, but he looked so different, his dreadlocks were gone and with short hair he was almost unrecognisable, 'after seeing one of my best friends die in the war I decided to change my career path to do some good, you know? Put away the people that hurt those I love and keep the world a safer place, so I joined the programme.'

Harry smiled briefly at Lee as the next person spoke, he vaguely recognised her with her striking blue eyes and dark blonde hair, 'I'm Daphne Greengrass, some of you may remember me from Hogwarts, I was a Slytherin so I'm pretty surprised you even let me into this programme. I didn't stay to fight in the final battle, although I did punch Pansy Parkinson in the face and knock her unconscious after we were led away to the dungeons. I want to be an Auror because I want to go down the career path I want, not the career path my family want for me, and I've always wanted to be an Auror since I was a pretty little kid. I blame the sorting hat, I think I'm the only person who's been a hat stall between Gryffindor and Slytherin.'

There was some chuckling at this, and Harry smirked slightly because he himself had been a hat stall between those two houses, but this wasn't something he wanted to share with the group.

'I'm Hamish MacDougal, I'm 20 years old, and I was in Ravenclaw when I was at school. I joined the Department of Magical Law Enforcement after leaving school, but I wanted to be an Auror I just didn't have the grades. When the rules were lessened I took my chances and joined up,' the man speaking looked a little wild with a dark beard and long hair, Harry knew there had been someone called 'MacDougal' in his year, a Ravenclaw, but he couldn't remember anything else about them. This person might have been an older brother after all they were both very broadly Scottish.

'I'm Regina Davies,' a girl with dark brown hair said with a smile, she was fairly pretty and looked maybe a year older than Harry, 'my brother has just finished Auror training and he's been pretty smug about it, and pretty pissed that his sister got in too,' there was some chuckling at this, 'I've wanted to be an Auror for the last three years, ever since my brother got into the programme and told me about all the stuff he was learning.'

The last person to speak up was also a girl, she too was fairly pretty with light brown hair, 'My name is Olivia Wood, my brothers called Oliver, yeah I know our parents weren't very inventive,' even Sumner chuckled at this, 'like Regina's brother he's an Auror too, sort of. He's in his last year so thankfully I won't see him much around here since he'll be out on placement a lot. My story is pretty similar to Regina's, I've wanted to be an Auror ever since my brother came home the Christmas of his first year of training and told me about it.'

'Alright, niceties sorted,' Sumner said as he got to his feet and clapped his hands, 'wands at the ready,' he added as he raised the platform with a hand motion. It was larger than the one they had used in the duelling club at Hogwarts, higher and wider, with steps leading up to it.

'Ladies first,' Sumner said to the 4 women in the room with a slight smirk, 'Davies and Bones, I want you two partnered up first against Wood and Greengrass. You know how to duel in doubles?'

All four girls nodded so Sumner ordered them up onto the platform. For the next little while the 4 girls duelled, switching around so they all had a short chance to duel with all of the other girls. Harry and Neville watched with the other 4 boys and realised quickly the strongest of the group was Susan, but Daphne was fairly good too. Regina and Olivia were fairly standard to them, but then they expected a high standard considering what they had just witnessed only months earlier.

When Sumner had taken enough notes and seemed satisfied he called them down and handed them each a bottle of water. Only Regina and Olivia really needed it though, Susan and Daphne barely touched theirs.

'We'll take this in turns,' Sumner said to the 6 males, 'like I told the girls the whole point is to assess who works well together, everyone has a duelling style and some complement each other while others don't. Longbottom and Entwhistle, you two up first against…' Sumner contemplated this, eventually deciding, 'MacDougal and Finnigan.'

Harry and Lee were left to watch with the four girls, nobody said much and it was pretty apparent, to Harry at least that Neville was more than a match for Hamish and Seamus, even with Kevin being pretty useless he took them on his own. Neville tended to use defensive spells, but he was clever with them, deflecting them, sending them back, shooting his own in between putting up shield charms. Harry realised once more how much he had underestimated Neville Longbottom, he really had transformed in recent years.

Pretty quickly Sumner changed things around, putting Lee on with Neville and Harry on with Hamish. It was more even, but Lee and Neville both used defensive spells so it didn't work out great and Harry wasn't very compatible with Hamish since he kept running in front of Harry's spells accidentally.

After about 10 minutes Sumner switched Neville for Seamus and Hamish for Kevin meaning that it was now Seamus and Lee versus Harry and Kevin. It worked out alright for Seamus and Lee who had a good rapport and worked well together, but Harry was trying with all his might not to curse Kevin who was doing his head in. Sumner was laughing his head off as he noted down in his notepad, _'Potter and Entwhistle – NO'._

Sumner switched them around again after less than 10 minutes. This time switching Lee for Kevin and telling Harry to sit down so Hamish and Neville could team up. Kevin and Seamus were good together surprisingly, with Kevin taking more defensive and Seamus being on the offensive, but they still weren't the best Harry had seen. Neville and Hamish clashed a bit, but as a whole they were okay.

Kevin and Lee were paired up next, and they were to duel against Harry and Seamus. That was the biggest disaster of the day so far. Harry learned that although he liked Seamus he definitely couldn't duel him and Kevin and Lee weren't the greatest pairing either. Sumner got bored quickly and switched things around once again. This time it was Neville and Seamus against Hamish and Kevin. Both teams worked well together, but as Harry watched Neville he realised that nobody would be a better match for him than he himself. Seamus and Neville knew each other's style well, but Harry and Neville naturally worked well together and Harry had a feeling that would be true of their duelling methods too.

The next pairs were Harry and Lee versus Neville and Hamish. Sumner laughed loudly at the fact Harry and Neville pretty much took over the duel since Lee and Hamish weren't doing much. Almost every pair had been exhausted as Sumner brought together Hamish and Lee once more and finally paired Harry and Neville. The two Gryffindors shared a smirk and completely dominated the duel. As Harry had suspected their duelling styles were so different they melded perfectly together with Neville deflecting spells back at Lee and Hamish while Harry took the offensive and bombarded them with spells while their own flew back at them.

When it was over Sumner looked positively delighted as he sent them all to the dining hall for lunch.

**TBC! :)  
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**General Opinions? Please leave a review, or favourite or something. Let me know there is someone out there who loves Harry/Neville as much as I do!**


	2. Partners & Pools

**An Unexpected Predicament**

**Chapter 2 – Partners &amp; Pools**

Harry and Neville sat down at one of the tables in the busy dining hall, both feeling pretty good about the duelling earlier.

'So who do you reckon you'll get paired with?' Neville asked Harry as he tucked in hungrily to his lunch.

'You I hope,' Harry said honestly, 'you were the only one who I was actually compatible with.'

Neville smiled weakly at this and said, 'Well we have experience of fighting together I guess.'

'Yeah, that's true,' Harry agreed, thinking back to the Ministry in 5th year, and then to the war, 'where would I be without my snake beheading sidekick after all?'

Neville chuckled as someone approached the table from behind, 'Mind if we sit here?'

'Nah, not at all,' Harry said with a smile to Susan and Daphne who sat down at the table with their trays of food, 'you two were amazing in that duel.'

'Practice,' Neville said simply.

Harry nodded in agreement, 'Lots of it.'

'We were just saying on the way here, we think Sumner would be mad to pair you with anyone else but each other,' Susan said as she too tucked into lunch.

'I think you two might end up paired together actually,' Harry said to the blonde and the redhead, 'no offence to the other two, but you were stronger and you worked well together.'

'I would quite like to be paired with you actually Daphne,' Susan admitted to the Slytherin, 'you're the only one here sarcastic enough to understand me.'

'Grew up with Slytherins, being sarcastic is kind of a given,' Daphne said with a smirk, 'I'm Daphne by the way,' she said to Harry and Neville, 'I don't think we've ever formally met.'

'We haven't,' Harry said, and Neville added, 'and I'm pretty sure the only time you ever spoke to me was when you melted my cauldron in 3rd year potions.'

'Right,' Daphne said a little awkwardly, 'Sorry about that.'

Neville shrugged and said with a slight smile, 'It's all in the past.'

The group of four made small talk throughout the rest of lunch and after their hour long break returned to the duelling hall where Sumner was waiting. Once more they took their seats while he paced the room, glancing down to the clipboard in his hand occasionally and tapping the sharp end of his quill on it absentmindedly.

'Now is the pivotal moment where you find out who your training partner is going to be. This is the person who you will live with, eat with, sleep with and train with for the next three years. You're going to have to put your life in this persons hands, they're going to be your sole ally in your training missions and in your written work too. You'll study together, submit joint assignments, you name it. By the time you leave here you will trust the person I'm about to pair you with completely, and you will not question the fact that you would die for them in the field,' Sumner said, his eyes flitting around the group as he gave them this intense speech.

'Davies, you're paired with Wood,' Sumner began and the two girls shared a smile, 'Bones and Greengrass, you two are the other female pair.'

Susan and Daphne also shared a slightly smug, yet amused grin at this news.

'Finnigan, your partner is Jordan,' Sumner said as he crossed off something on his list, 'and Entwhistle you and MacDougal are paired together.'

Harry and Neville grinned at each other as they realised what this meant, Sumner saw this of course and rolled his eyes, 'That's right Potter, you get to keep your sidekick, but only because you seem to know each other well enough to predict the other's next move, and your styles are pretty damn compatible. Don't think you're getting any special treatment just because you killed some dark wizard that was terrorising our world.'

'Yes sir,' Harry and Neville said in unison, still beaming. It made the future look all that brighter for Harry, knowing Neville would be his partner through what was inevitably going to be the toughest three years of his career.

'That's all from me for today. You all need to go and collect your uniform from reception, this must be kept clean at all times and it is _your _responsibility to keep it that way. When you've done that your wands will be tested upstairs to make sure they're up for action. Apart from that it's your chance to get settled in, get to know your partner a little, unpack, do whatever it is you do to relax because tomorrow the real training starts. I'll see you all outside at 6.30am, regardless of the weather.'

Sumner left them after that, alone in the duelling hall. They grouped together a little more, stuck to their pairings, although Harry and Neville still walked to reception with Susan and Daphne. It took pretty much the rest of the afternoon, getting their uniforms and waiting as all of their wands were weighed and tested. They had about an hour in the end to get to their new rooms and investigate before dinner was served in the dining hall.

When the group of recruits emerged in the attic of the old building all of the doors now had names on them and when Harry and Neville entered the one assigned to them they were surprised. They had expected it to be similar to their dorms at Hogwarts, but it couldn't be more different. There wasn't much space for anything, and the room was very sparse. The walls were wooden, the floor was wooden and the roof looked wooden too. There was an old wooden bunk bed taking up the whole right hand side of the room, and in between the bunk and the door to the bathroom a desk was squeezed in. The room had one tiny dingy window that no normal sized owl could fit through, and Harry realised with a jolt he might not even be able to write to Ginny.

The bathroom consisted of a dirty bathtub, a toilet and a sink with a large crack in it. The door didn't lock properly and there were no windows, the room was lit instead by a gas lamp hanging from the roof.

'This is nice,' Neville said sarcastically.

'So much for my promise to write to Ginny,' Harry said miserably, his gaze fixed on the tiny window.

'My owl could probably fit through it,' Neville said honestly, 'he's a small owl, like Ron's. I'll let you use him if you like.'

'You'd do that?' Harry asked hopefully, 'thanks Neville.'

Neville shrugged and said, 'no problem,' he turned his gaze to the bunk beds which looked to be pretty old and banged up, but stable enough that they wouldn't collapse, 'top or bottom?'

'Huh?'

'The bunks, do you want the top or the bottom bed?' Neville asked as he hauled his trunk into the room from the corridor outside.

'Oh,' Harry said, glancing to the bunk beds, 'top I guess,' he said, thinking of the fact he'd always wanted a bunk bed when he was younger so he could be higher up than Dudley, but he had never gotten one.

'Cool,' Neville said, dropping his trunk onto the bottom bunk.

Harry followed his lead and pulled his own trunk into the room, Neville looked surprised when he lifted it up with ease and threw it onto the top bunk.

'I'm not as much of a skinny runt as I look,' Harry remarked, amused at Neville's surprise.

'Clearly,' Neville said with a chuckle.

* * *

The first proper day of training was harder than even Sumner had led them to believe. Their recruit uniforms were basically grey jumpsuits that were incredibly uncomfortable, and there were a lot of strict rules to adhere to in terms of how they looked. The girls had to wear their hair up in tight buns, and they weren't allowed to wear make-up. No jewellery was allowed either, and nothing else was allowed to be worn apart from the standard grey uniform.

Their first day was a Tuesday since their Monday had been put aside for induction. This meant they were up at 6am, in the duelling hall at 6.30am to get their instructions from Sumner and eating breakfast at 7am. The whole morning was spent outside after that, Sumner was putting them through their paces on the track, and Harry lost count of how many times he had run around the damn thing, although it did make him feel good about himself considering the fact he was the fastest by about 20 seconds. He had been fit before he went to Hogwarts from running away from Dudley and his gang, and then during his Hogwarts days Quidditch had kept him fit. Merlin knew he had done his fair share of running during the war too, but regardless it still made him feel good about himself.

The second part of outdoor training was an obstacle course which involved crawling underneath a net through mud, climbing and jumping a large wall, swinging across a rope, sprinting with a bag of sand over their back and finishing with wading through murky water to the end of the course. Harry was surprised by how good the girls were, and how they weren't bothered at all about getting wet or muddy. He understood with Susan who had fought in the final battle and had seen her fair share of stuff that was worse than water or mud, but the other girls surprised him. Again Harry was fairly adept at this course, struggling the most with running with the sand bag. He didn't come out on top of the course like he had with the track, but he was surprised when he found out who had.

'Alright!' Sumner called, dragging the tired, wet, muddy group over to him, 'some of you are pretty good, some of you are not bad at all and some of you are goddamn awful. But one of you is exceptional and has completed the course in 50 seconds, that's only 20 seconds more than what we expect at the end of training in three years time. Well done, recruit Longbottom.'

Neville grinned proudly and Harry chuckled, patting Neville on the back and saying well done.

'Potter, you were second. You've got to work on those sand bags they really slowed you down. Your overall time was 60 seconds, you've got to cut that by half in the next three years,' Sumner said, and Harry nodded in response.

Sumner continued along the line, 'Bones you did it in 64 seconds, you've got to get better with that wall. Greengrass, your time was 68 seconds. Learn how to swing with a rope, yeah?'

He was harsh as he went through them all, giving them their times. Seamus placed pretty well, but Olivia, Hamish, Regina and Kevin were all the slowest, with Kevin taking 97 seconds to do it because he had gotten stuck in the mud at the beginning.

With their intensive first morning over they were given a half hour break to shower, then they were expected at lunch.

'I can't wait for this afternoon,' Neville said eagerly as he ate lunch with Harry.

'Right, it's Herbology lab after lunch,' Harry realised with a chuckle, 'that's why we make a good team Nev, I'm bloody terrible at Herbology.'

'I bet you're not half bad when you don't have the threat of an evil dark wizard breathing down your neck all the time,' Neville said with a smirk.

'We'll have to wait and see,' Harry said in amusement, 'We've got swimming after that I think, don't we?'

Neville nodded and swallowed anxiously, 'Yeah, we do.'

'Don't you like swimming?' Harry asked with a frown.

'It's not that,' Neville said quietly, 'I can't. My Grandmother hates water, nobody ever taught me.'

'Oh,' Harry said with a frown, 'I couldn't swim either before the second task in 4th year. I taught myself in the prefects bathroom.'

Neville smiled weakly, 'I'm going to get laughed at so much. I bet everyone else can swim.'

'I'm sure you'll be fine,' Harry said, but he had a feeling that Neville was right. Everyone else would be able to swim.

'Anyway,' Neville said, changing the subject very quickly, 'don't we have something else as well in the afternoon?'

'Yeah, the weekly medical examination,' Harry said with a nod, 'you know to make sure we haven't hurt ourselves in training or anything.'

Neville nodded, 'Yeah, course, how could I forget?.'

Harry glanced down to his standard issue watch and said, 'come on, time to get out to the greenhouse for that Herbology lab.'

Neville's face brightened up immediately at this and they left for the greenhouse on the other side of the big, foreboding building. Neville was excited, and he was also the best. He impressed Sumner and everyone else with his knowledge of what was poisonous and what was edible, and how the leaves of certain plants could do different things depending on how they were used, whether they were juiced or crushed etc. Sumner remarked to Harry that he was lucky to have such a resourceful training partner, Harry couldn't agree more.

Neville was anxious on their way to the swimming pool down on basement level. Harry tried to keep him talking, but he was aware that it wasn't working very well. When they arrived in the changing rooms which were split by a screen for the girls modesty, everyone was chattering away fine, no one else seemed particularly worried.

Harry himself was anxious, he could swim but he didn't like to be as exposed as he was going to be in front of all these people. He stripped down and changed into his trunks, revealing the extent of his war wounds to those in the room. Scars could only be healed in the wizarding world if they were treated straight away, and Harry hadn't had that luxury. On his chest was a circular patch of red, burned skin where the locket had charred him. On his arm were the fang marks that Nagini had left him with. There were small patches of red, burnt skin on his arms, legs, his back and shoulders from where he had been burned by the objects in Bellatrix Lestrange's vault in Gringotts.

He was aware of Seamus, Hamish, Lee and Kevin looking at him in surprise, but he pretended not to notice as they left the changing room for the pool. Harry sighed and turned to Neville, his shock mirroring that of those who had just left. On Neville's back were 6 long scars and as Neville turned around Harry realised the extent of his injuries. On his chest was a scar from a wound that looked like it had been sealed by a shaky, unqualified hand. He too had small burn marks on certain parts of his body.

'Look at us,' Neville said bitterly, 'the only ones actually wounded in the war this lot keep talking about.'

'I don't know,' Harry said, remembering Susan being on fire at one point in the final battle, 'don't say anymore until you see Susan.'

Neville frowned but said no more, 'how did you get yours?' he asked.

'This one was from one of Voldemort's horcruxes,' Harry said as he pointed to his chest, 'the smaller burn marks are from the time I broke into Gringotts and the bite marks are from the snake you killed. Thanks for that by the way.'

'No problem,' Neville said weakly.

'So how did you get yours?' Harry asked with a general wave of his hand.

'These were from the Carrows, after I tried to help out some kids they were bullying,' Neville said, pointing to his back, 'this is from the Carrows too, Hannah had to try and sort it out, but she's hardly a professional Healer,' he said, pointing to his other scar, 'and the burns are just from the final battle,' he finished with a shrug.

'Sorry,' Harry said quietly.

'It's not your fault,' Neville said as he walked towards the door to the pool.

Harry didn't say what crossed his mind in that moment, _yes it is_. Instead he followed Neville to the poolside where they lined up with the others. It was a fairly small pool, about the same size as that in the prefects bathroom but much deeper. Glancing around Harry saw that there were more injured here, Seamus had some small scars and burns, and as he expected Susan had been touched by the war too. Her shoulders and legs were all bright red and shiny, like her skin had been rubbed raw and was new, it was probably some way of reconstructing her skin. Harry knew that he could do it too, for the patches of burnt skin, but he didn't see the point in trying to erase the scars. They were his battle scars, his proof it had all really happened on days when it just didn't feel real.

'Alright you bunch of girls, get in the pool and do 5 lengths in whatever style you want to warm up,' Sumner said as he leant against one of the pillars. Everyone jumped in and started to swim, apart from Neville. Harry paused by the wall, not swimming away without him, 'Come on Nev, just give it a try.'

'I can't,' Neville said as he stared into the deep water, 'I don't know how to.'

Sumner walked briskly over to them, 'Is there a problem Longbottom?' he asked coolly.

'I can't swim Sir,' Neville said quietly.

'Well hurry up and learn!' Sumner barked.

'I'm scared of water Sir,' Neville said, sounding more like the pre-war Neville that Harry had known.

'What if Potter here gets stupefied and lands in the water?' Sumner shouted, and by now everyone in the pool was watching and listening to this conversation, 'are you just going to stand by and watch your partner drown because you're too much of a pussy to jump in and save his goddamn life?'

'No Sir,' Neville replied.

'Then get in that pool right now!' Sumner barked and Neville lowered himself slowly into the water, keeping hold of the edge of the pool.

Harry stuck close by the wall, 'You okay Neville?'

Neville nodded and Sumner barked, 'let go of the wall recruit Longbottom!'

Neville let go of the wall and tried to keep himself afloat, he struggled and went under the water, bobbing up and grabbing the wall once more. Some of the others were laughing, and Neville's face was red with embarrassment.

'Ignore them,' Harry muttered, 'come on, how many snakes have they killed?'

'I can't do it Harry, I can't swim,' Neville said in a panic.

'Sir,' Harry said, pulling himself up and sitting on the edge of the pool, 'Back off with Neville, he can't swim. He needs some basic training before you throw him in at the deep end, literally.'

'I don't care who you are Potter! Nobody talks back to me!' Sumner shouted, 'and every recruit should know the basics, it's not fucking difficult learning to swim now, is it?'

'It is when you have a bloody valid reason!' Harry said angrily, getting to his feet and adding in an undertone, 'his Uncle held him underwater as a kid to try and force out his magical abilities! He'll get it, but don't just throw him in on the first day.'

'And I suppose you have an alternate suggestion Potter, since you always seem to have the answer to everything!' Sumner barked.

'I do,' Harry said, 'give me until Thursday, I'll teach him in our spare time so that he knows the basics. He'll be able to do a length by Thursday, I guarantee it, just let him sit today out.'

Sumner narrowed his eyes at Harry, 'Well Potter it seems you can work goddamn miracles. Are you hearing this recruits? Saint Potter here seems to think he can teach someone who hasn't swum a day in his life how to swim a length in two days,' he barked out a laugh and said, 'If he can swim a length by Thursday, I'll let you both off. If not you both pay the penalty, cleaning the whole pool with _no _magic.'

Harry nodded, 'Yes Sir.'

'Alright Longbottom, your boyfriend saved you this time,' Sumner barked to Neville, 'get out the pool and watch carefully. This better be you by Thursday.'

'Yes Sir,' Neville said as he climbed out of the pool and sat down by the side. He smiled weakly at Harry and said, 'Thanks Harry.'

Harry shrugged and said, 'what are partners for?' as he jumped back into the water and caught up with the others, doing his 5 warm up lengths as fast as he could. The rest of the allocated swimming time was to test them, make them faster, correct their strokes and all that kind of stuff. With this over they got their medical examination which was a nice break after the swimming. With a clean bill of health everyone headed off to dinner.

Harry and Neville didn't talk about the swimming incident, Neville was still pretty embarrassed about it after all, but when they were in their dorm after dinner they still had a lot of free time before lights out at 9pm.

'Hey Nev, can I borrow your owl?' Harry asked as Neville's little owl Shakespeare, who he had been informed by Neville was named after a Muggle poet his Father had liked, fluttered around in the corner of the room.

'Yeah sure,' Neville said from where he was lying on the bottom bunk.

'Thanks,' Harry said as he pulled some parchment, ink and a quill from his trunk and sat down at the small wooden desk. He sighed as he started to write out his first letter to Ginny.

'_Ginny,_

_This is the first chance I've had to write to you. Training is pretty intensive, a lot more than I thought it would be. We're up at 6am every morning and lights out is at 9pm, we get meals obviously but apart from that the only free time we seem to get is for a couple of hours at night. How are things at Hogwarts? Boring without me? I kind of wish I was back there with you, but I'm enjoying training. I found out who my training partner for the next three years will be, and can you believe my luck? It's Neville! It really couldn't get any better, I already know and trust him with my life after all._

_I hope things are good, and I'll write whenever I can, but I don't know when that will be. I miss you.'_

Harry began to write 'Love, Harry,' automatically at the end of the letter then paused and sighed heavily, 'Neville, what do you write at the end of a letter to someone who you're supposed to be in love with but you're not sure you are in love with who you're kind of dating, but not really dating?'

'Uh, a safe bet is probably just to write your name,' Neville suggested.

'But won't she get annoyed at me for not writing 'love' at the end of the letter?' Harry asked in exasperation.

Neville shrugged and said, 'I don't know Harry, I don't really do women.'

Harry frowned slightly as he signed his name at the end of the letter and folded it up, 'Neville, have you ever had a girlfriend?'

'Nah, not really,' Neville replied, 'taking Ginny to the Yule Ball was the extent of my love life at school.'

'What about crushes?' Harry asked curiously.

Neville shrugged again and said slightly awkwardly, 'Yeah, I had them.'

'Anyone I know?' Harry asked nosily.

Neville laughed and said, 'I never knew you were such a gossip Harry.'

Harry chuckled, 'Sorry, I'll stop prying,' he said as he started to write his second letter.

'_Hermione,_

_I hope the new job is going well for you, I'll talk to you about it soon. I get leave on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, but that's the only time I'm allowed to leave the training centre. It's pretty strict here, and it's hard work but I'm enjoying it. My training partner and my dorm mate is Neville which is kind of nice, it's a taste of Hogwarts if that makes sense. It helps too that I know him well already, and that I trust him. _

_Training is pretty physical so far, but I can handle most of it. I'm more worried about the intellectual part, the lectures and assignments, I don't think I'll be great at it without your help. Herbology lab wasn't too bad though, but that was probably because Neville was helping me out. Anyway, I'll see you soon, probably on Saturday afternoon._

_Love,_

_Harry.'_

Neville chuckled from behind him, and said, 'I notice you don't have any problems putting 'love' at the end of that letter.'

'Ah well it's to Hermione,' Harry said as he folded it up and tied both letters to Shakespeare's leg, 'she's like my sister.'

'Fair enough,' Neville said as Harry let the owl out the tiny window, 'come on, we've got an hour till lights out. Grab your trunks.'

Neville sighed but did so anyway, 'you really think you can teach me to swim by Thursday? I mean we only really have our free time tonight, tomorrow morning, tomorrow night and Thursday morning.'

'That's about three hours,' Harry said with a smile, 'not much longer than it took me to teach myself. Don't worry Neville, I've got faith in you.'

* * *

When they arrived at the pool it was empty which made Neville less nervous already. They changed quickly into their trunks and Harry jumped into the pool surfacing and shaking the water from his messy hair, 'Sorry,' he said to Neville, 'I like swimming.'

'Don't worry about it,' Neville said as he lowered himself in at the shallow end of the pool where the water came up to his mid-chest.

'Alright,' Harry said, 'first of all you need to learn to keep yourself afloat,' he showed Neville how to move his arms and legs in circles and after about half an hour he could keep himself up in the deeper end of the pool where his feet didn't touch the bottom.

'You'll have to trust me for this one,' Harry said to Neville sheepishly, 'lie on your back, I'll hold you up but you've got to concentrate on floating.'

Neville nodded and did as Harry said, he placed both of his hands on Neville's back to keep him from sinking and when he let go Neville kept himself afloat above the water.

'That's the basics,' Harry said happily, 'you won't drown now at least.'

Neville chuckled and glanced at the time, 'We don't have time for anything else, do we?'

'Nah,' Harry said, they only had 15 minutes until lights out, 'but we'll come back tomorrow. You'll have the hang of it by Thursday. I promise.'

**TBC :)  
**


	3. Catching Up & Strange Encounters

**An Unexpected Predicament**

**Chapter 3 – Catch-Ups &amp; Strange Encounters**

Wednesday was so busy that Harry and Neville didn't even have time to think about the swimming conundrum. They had duelling first thing and then their first formal lecture which was an hour and a half long and focused on stealth and tracking. They left with their first assignment and went back to the duelling hall. After lunch they had to go to the fitness room where they practiced their spell-casting and lifted weights to get their strength up to scratch. They also had their first basic healing class in the hospital wing, which taught them the most basic aspects of healing. They finished the day off with a code deciphering workshop that aimed to crack codes used by criminal groups such as the Death Eaters. After dinner Harry and Neville headed straight for the pool where Harry taught Neville a couple of basic strokes. When the lights all cut out at 9pm, they were both so exhausted they didn't have time to say goodnight.

Thursday loomed and Neville was a little pale, but as they spent all morning doing outdoor activities in the pouring rain he didn't have much time to think about it. At lunch he didn't eat much, but Herbology Lab cheered him up. Finally it was time for swimming, and although Harry was confident that Neville would do fine, Neville himself wasn't so confident.

The group changed quietly, but Seamus patted Neville on the back and said good luck as they walked out into the pool where they lined up like the last time. Sumner narrowed his eyes at them all, 'Alright girls, time for our second session, but first let's see what Longbottom can do.'

He walked right up to Harry and Neville, 'How did your swimming date go boys? Was it very romantic?' he asked sarcastically.

Neville blushed and Harry said sarcastically, 'Oh yeah, it was super romantic. Moonlit swim and all.'

'Potter, there's only one person in this room whose allowed to be sarcastic,' Sumner barked, 'and that's me.'

'Yes Sir,' Harry said, unable to contain his smirk.

'Alright Longbottom, get in that pool and show us what you can do,' Sumner said, not quite so harshly.

Neville nodded, 'Yes Sir,' he said as he jumped into the pool and swam a reasonable length, then just to show off he swam back again.

'Well would you look at that, appears Potters good at more than just killing dark wizards,' Sumner said with a smirk, 'the rest of you get in and give me your warm up lengths!'

Harry grinned proudly as he jumped into the pool and did his lengths, he was glad he had proved to Sumner, and to Neville, that he could do it.

They went to field practice in high spirits, and then had dinner. Friday was very similar to Wednesday, with Duelling, then a lecture about Poisons and Antidotes, then more duelling all before lunch. Afterwards it was the fitness room and basic healing again, finishing off the day with battle enactment which was practice for a fight involving more than 6 people on either side.

Saturday was when they had some free time, but they still had to get up at 6am for a lecture about transfiguration in the field at 7.30am. Then they had basic flying practice and after that advanced flying practice, Harry was surprised at how good Neville was, considering what had happened to his wrist in 1st year. Finally it was time for lunch, and when lunch break finished at 12.30pm, the recruits had a few hours of free time, but they were required to be back at the training centre for dinner at 6pm.

Harry left the training centre as fast as he could and the second he was out of the wards apparated to the doorstep of Ron and Hermione's 3rd floor flat in Diagon Alley. He rapped on the door and it opened almost instantly, 'Harry!'

'Hey Hermione,' Harry said happily as he hugged her.

'Come on, come in,' Hermione said, 'Ron's at work unfortunately.'

'Ah I thought he might be,' Harry said as he walked into the flat. It was fairly small and sparsely furnished but nice, 'This is lovely Hermione.'

'Oh thanks,' Hermione said with a smile, 'it's all we could afford.'

Harry chuckled, 'You should see what Nev and I have to sleep in. It's in the attic of the training centre with a bunk bed, and a desk, literally nothing else.'

'Yeah, I got your letter. So you and Neville are partners?' Hermione asked as she went about making tea.

'Yeah,' Harry said brightly, 'we had to duel in doubles on the first day so we could be assessed and partnered up. Neville and I got put together because our duelling styles are compatible and we work well together. He's also great at Herbology which helps me out, and I taught him how to swim to help him out. It's all working out great.'

'That's fantastic Harry,' Hermione said as she handed him a cup of tea and put a plate of biscuits down on the coffee table, 'anyone else we know at Auror training?'

'A couple yeah, Seamus is there for a start,' Harry said as he sipped his tea.

'Seamus?' Hermione asked in surprise, 'is he any good?'

'He's alright, I mean he's good at the physical stuff, but he's struggling in the lectures and with the assignments,' Harry said, adding, 'I'm actually finding them a lot easier than I thought.'

'You're smart Harry, you had the brains to do as well as I did at school but you were always so distracted,' Hermione said thoughtfully.

'Damn that Voldemort, trying to kill me and distracting me from my school work,' Harry joked, making Hermione chuckle.

'Susan Bones is there too, and some posh arsehole called Kevin Entwhistle who said he was in our year,' Harry added, and Hermione scolded him for swearing.

'Kevin was in Ravenclaw, he was very quiet, never part of the DA or anything like that. Did he fight in the final battle?' Hermione asked.

'Nah, he got in on his grades rather than the final battle. So did Daphne Greengrass, she was a Slytherin in our year,' Harry told Hermione.

'Daphne? I don't really remember her, but then I didn't exactly talk to the Slytherins. She must not have a criminal record, if she did she wouldn't have gotten in,' Hermione said thoughtfully, 'was she the blonde one?'

'I don't know,' Harry replied, 'maybe, she does have dark blonde hair. The other girls are Olivia Wood and Regina Davies, little sisters of Oliver and Roger,' he added.

'Oh, okay. Well Oliver and Roger were both training to become Aurors too,' Hermione said, 'I think Roger is one now.'

'Yeah, just qualified,' Harry said with a nod, 'There's a guy called Hamish MacDougal too, I think he had a sibling in our year.'

'Morag,' Hermione said, nodding as she recalled this, 'yeah she was a Ravenclaw. Is that it?'

'Nah, the last recruit is Lee Jordan, but he's cut all his hair off, I didnt even recognise him at first,' Harry said, 'that's all of us, there are only 10.'

'10?' Hermione said thoughtfully as she grabbed a biscuit from the plate.

'Yeah, but they think there will only be 4 of us by the end of it,' Harry told her, 'What about you? How's the new job?'

'It's great,' Hermione replied honestly, 'it's not too much of a desk job, I mean I do a lot of paperwork, but I also go out to debates and we get call-outs too. Next week I'm going out to Bulgaria to solve a dispute about the welfare of a dragon.'

'Sounds like it keeps you on your toes,' Harry said with a smile.

'Between work and Ron, don't worry I'm kept busy,' Hermione said with a smile, 'but I do miss you. It's odd not seeing you every day or so.'

'I know what you mean,' Harry admitted.

'How's Ginny?' Hermione asked out of the blue.

'I don't know,' Harry replied honestly, 'I wrote to her at the same time I wrote to you, but she hasn't replied yet.'

'Well she'll be busy,' Hermione said with a smile, 'She's Head Girl and Quidditch Captain.'

Harry frowned, 'How do you know that?' he asked.

'She wrote to Ron and I, on her first week back,' Hermione said a little awkwardly.

'She wrote to you guys but not to me?' Harry asked, feeling a little hurt.

'You two aren't officially together Harry, it's kind of confusing for a girl when they don't know where they stand,' Hermione said gently, 'and you said yourself, you don't get much free time. Long distance is hard.'

'What are you saying Hermione?' Harry asked a little sharply.

'I'm just saying, things might change for Ginny. She might struggle with the long distance,' Hermione warned Harry.

'Does she mention me in this letter?' Harry asked with narrowed eyes.

'No Harry,' Hermione said with a sigh, 'I just don't want to see you get hurt.'

'Alright,' Harry said, sighing too, 'well at least I'm not alone at training, it helps that I've got Neville. By the way, did you know that Neville's never had a girlfriend?'

'Yeah…obviously,' Hermione said as if this was an obvious conclusion.

'What's that meant to mean Hermione?' Harry asked with a frown.

Hermione backtracked a little, 'Uh, well he's Neville,' she said.

'That's quite harsh of you. Neville's a really nice guy and I know he was a bit of a geek when we first started Hogwarts, but look at him now,' Harry said.

Hermione raised an eyebrow at Harry, 'What do you mean by that?'

'Well,' Harry said awkwardly, 'he's got rid of his puppy fat, and gone quite bad ass really. Don't you think?'

'Yeah, I guess so,' Hermione said, smiling slightly.

'Anyway,' Harry said as he finished his tea, 'I should get back to the training centre. I'm gonna write Ginny another letter. I'll see you next Saturday?'

'See you then,' Hermione said, kissing Harry on the cheek and showing him out of the flat.

* * *

They didn't get the full day off on Sunday either, just the afternoon. Like every other day they woke up at 6am, and as it was Sunday spent the better part of the morning in the potions lab, which only happened once a week, thankfully. It was probably Harry's weakest subject so far at training. Just before lunch they had a lecture about Muggle relations and Anti-Muggle charms, and then they had lunch and their free time.

Harry and Neville often ate with Susan and Daphne at meal times, Seamus had grown close to Hamish and since tables only sat 4 it made sense. They didn't really talk much to the other recruits, they were polite but that was the extent of it. Harry and Neville both liked Seamus, but they weren't so keen on Hamish, Lee was a bit out there, and Kevin was just an asshole. Olivia and Regina kept to themselves generally, so Harry and Neville were getting closer to the two girls.

'Do you guys want to come out with us this afternoon?' Susan asked Harry and Neville as they ate lunch, 'we're checking out this wizarding pub just round the corner. It gets rowdy at the weekend apparently when all the recruits have free time.'

'Yeah sure,' Harry said with a smile, 'I could do with a drink after this week.'

'We thought it would be a good idea to celebrate getting through week one,' Daphne said in amusement, 'even if there's still a long way to go.'

'Anything that involves a drink sounds like a good idea to me,' Neville piped up. So when they finished their lunch they all quickly changed out of standard uniform, signed out and rounded the corner after exiting the gates of the training centre. It was a fairly ordinary Muggle street with a boarded up pub called, 'The Royal Oak', it looked Muggle but like everything wizarding that was hidden in Muggle London, its appearance changed when you got past the Anti-Muggle charms. The pub wasn't boarded up, it was a grand building with purple window frames and a purple painted wooden front door, a sign above it read, 'The Thirsty Thestral'.

'Looks alright,' Susan said as they walked in, the pub was crowded and busy, it looked much like the three broomsticks inside. They found a table at the back of the room and Harry left to get them all drinks. When he returned and handed out the butterbeers and firewhiskeys they were talking about other people they had gone to school with.

'Yeah I heard Hermione Granger was doing stuff with magical creatures at the Ministry,' Susan was saying to Neville, 'she wanted to liberate house elves when we were in school.'

'Ah Hermione and her spew,' Harry said, causing Susan and Neville to chuckle and Daphne to look on in confusion.

'We were just talking about people we knew, and what they were up to now,' Neville informed Harry as he sat down.

'Well Ron's co-owner of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes now,' Harry said matter of factly, 'and Deans into something with the Ministry to do with portraits, isn't he?' Harry referred to Neville.

'Yeah,' Neville said as he nodded, 'he paints and enchants magical portraits.'

'It was a shame about Lavender and Parvati,' Susan said sadly, 'we were never close, but think of poor Padma, her twin sister and her best friend both dead.'

'Yeah,' Harry said with a sigh, 'I liked Parvati, we went to the Yule Ball together.'

'Oh right, of course you did,' Susan said as she remembered this, 'Did you know Ernie got a job in the Department of Magical Transportation?'

'I heard about that from Justin when I bumped into him in Diagon Alley,' Neville said, 'Justin's working with Hermione at the ministry now isn't he?'

'Yeah, that's right,' Susan said with a nod, 'and Hannah got into some elite healing programme here in London.'

'I don't know how,' Neville joked, flashing the scar on his chest, 'she did that.'

Harry and Susan both chuckled, but Daphne was incredibly quiet so they decided to try and involve her a bit more, 'What about the Slytherins Daphne?' Susan asked, 'what are they up to?'

'Well Crabbe's dead and Goyle's in Azkaban,' Daphne said darkly, 'Blaise and Theo have both gone into the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and I think that's what Draco wants to do too.'

'Tracey's doing something Quidditch related, I heard,' Neville piped up, and Daphne nodded, 'yeah she's commentating for the big games over in Europe. Millicent's gone to Australia or somewhere, I don't know, she ran away with her family after the war.'

'And Sophie's working at the Ministry too,' Susan recalled, 'I bumped into her not that long ago, she's with the Department of Mysteries.'

'Wow, impressive,' Neville said, 'having seen some of the things down there, it's both amazing and terrifying.'

'That's what Gin wants to do after Hogwarts,' Harry said to the others, 'she wants to work in the Department of Mysteries. She isn't sure she'll get the grades with everything that's happened recently, but I'm sure she will.'

'Oh so you and Ginny are back together?' Susan asked.

Harry bit his lip and said, 'Well, kind of, it's complicated.'

'Can't be more complicated than my life,' Daphne remarked a little bitterly.

'Do you have a boyfriend Daphne?' Susan asked in surprise.

'Not really,' Daphne admitted, 'I'm kind of with a guy but he's in an arranged marriage contract to my little sister, and it doesn't help that he's on trial for war crimes.'

'There's only one person you could be referring to,' Harry said with narrowed eyes, 'Malfoy?'

Daphne nodded and said, 'Draco and I like each other a lot, but he's supposed to marry my sister Astoria.'

'If she's younger than you, surely she's still at school?' Harry asked with a frown.

'Yeah, she's in her last year, but they're due to get married when she gets out next year. If he avoids Azkaban that is,' Daphne said miserably.

'Well, I can't do anything about your sister, but I can talk to Kingsley and see if he could lessen Malfoy's sentence,' Harry suggested, 'he did save my life in the war when I was captured at Malfoy Manor.'

'He told me about that,' Daphne said, 'but you saved his life too. In the fire that killed Crabbe.'

Harry nodded and said, 'I might not have liked him, but nobody deserves to die, especially not like that.'

The air was a little tense after this conversation so Daphne changed the subject by asking Susan if she was involved with anyone.

'No, nobody. I'm still very much unattached,' Susan said with a chuckle.

'What about you Neville?' Daphne asked nosily.

Neville shrugged and smiled, 'Same as Susan, very much unattached.'

'You guys should totally hook up!' Daphne suggested with a grin.

Susan and Neville shared an awkward glance, 'Sorry Neville, I kind of like someone at the moment,' Susan said awkwardly.

'Don't worry about it Susan, I'm happily unattached,' Neville said with a smile, and as Harry changed the subject to Quidditch something odd happened.

'Neville, hey!'

Neville turned around with a frown to the person speaking. He looked about their age, with black messy hair and dark eyes. Daphne muttered jokingly to Harry that this guy could be his clone given a pair of glasses.

'Oh hey Stephen,' Neville said with a smile, 'these are my friends, Harry, Susan and Daphne. Guys this is my friend, Stephen.'

The others all waved to Stephen who gave them a slightly awkward nod, 'So what are you up to now that Hogwarts is done?'

'Oh I'm working at the Ministry,' Stephen said with a smile, 'yeah, Department of International Magical Co-operation. How about you?'

'I'm in Auror training actually, started last week,' Neville said to Stephen. He laughed at this and said, 'You in Auror training? Oh wait you're serious.'

'He's damn good at it too,' Harry said, glaring at this Stephen guy.

'This is my partner Harry,' Neville said by way of explanation.

Stephen frowned at this and said, 'Oh so you two are…partners?'

Harry frowned too at the way Stephen had asked, 'Uh, Auror partners yeah,' he said, 'what else would we be talking about?'

'Right, of course,' Stephen said with a nod, 'well I best be on my way. Nice seeing you Neville.'

'You too,' Neville said as Stephen walked away.

'What was that about?' Harry asked in confusion when he was gone.

'Stephen and I sort of ran the DA together when you were gone Harry, he helped out around the room of requirement a lot,' Neville explained.

Harry nodded and accepted this explanation, but it was clear something strange had happened, and it was also clear that Neville was hiding something.

* * *

Harry was just finishing his third week of training when he realised why Ginny hadn't replied to any of his letters. It was the start of October now, and it had been almost a month since he had seen her. He realised what the problem was when Hermione told him Ginny had been replying to his letters, but he hadn't received any. Susan said they were probably in his pigeon hole in the owlery if the bird Ginny had used was too big to fit through the window.

'There's an owlery here?'

'Yeah, didn't you know?' Susan asked in surprise as they walked back from duelling practice, 'the entrance to it is at the end of the corridor where we have our potions lecture.'

'Thanks Susan,' Harry said, using his lunch break to sprint off to the owlery. He found it easily enough and when he reached the top he found a pile of 6 letters in it, 3 were from Ginny, one looked like it was in Ron's handwriting, and the last two seemed to be official, probably from the Ministry.

He missed lunch because of his detour, but as he stashed the letters under his pillow he found that he didn't care. He hurried back down so he wouldn't be late for the next class of the day and looked forward to reading his letters later. Because of the fact he was looking forward to later, it took forever to come, but eventually Harry and Neville were back in their dorm and the first thing Harry did was fling himself onto his bed and grab the letters.

'Neville,' Harry said as he opened up the first one from Ginny, 'did you know we have an owlery here?'

'Nah,' Neville replied, 'where is it?'

'Just along from the room we have our potions lectures in,' Harry said as he glanced down to the letter, 'Ginny has been replying,' he said cheerfully, 'I just didn't know it.'

'That's nice,' Neville said with a smile as he lay down in his bunk.

Harry grinned as he read the letters finally.

'_Harry,_

_I'm glad you're enjoying training, and that you have Neville to watch your back. Schools going great, McGonagall made me Head Girl and I'm Quidditch Captain this year. I'm hoping to follow in your incredibly famous footsteps and bring Gryffindor to victory! I'm so busy this year, I don't know when I'll be able to write, but I'll try and do so as often as possible._

_I miss you, and I hate the thought of you out there doing all that horrible, hard work. I keep imagining you in a dingy room somewhere while I'm enjoying luxury here. It just isn't fair, long distance sucks, doesn't it? _

_Can't wait for Christmas already._

_Love,_

_Ginny.'_

Harry frowned, so Ginny had replied with 'love' even though Harry hadn't. That made him feel pretty guilty as he opened her second letter.

'_Harry,_

_Are you okay? You must be really busy down there, I thought you would have had time to answer my letter by now. I worry about you, people are saying that it's really hard work and that people get hurt and even die in Auror training. _

_Things are much the same here, the castle isn't quite back to normal yet after the war. I went to the room of requirement for the first time since I got back today. I made it into the DA room, it reminded me of you._

_Write to me as soon as you can._

_Love,_

_Ginny.'_

Again Harry's stomach gave a jolt, but he ripped open the third letter, frustrated that he'd let Ginny get so worried about him.

'_Harry,_

_It's been a month since I came back to Hogwarts and you still haven't answered my letters. I'm not going to waste my time sending them if you won't reply. Have you met someone else at training? I know that boys and girls all train together._

_Please just write back so I know where I stand Harry, so I know where we stand._

_Ginny.'_

And the love was gone, Harry sighed and jumped down from the bunk, he grabbed some parchment and scribbled out a reply to Ginny.

'_Ginny,_

_I'm sorry, I'm a complete idiot. I didn't realise that there was an owlery here. I thought letters would come straight in the window, like they did with Hedwig at Hogwarts. I've only just found the owlery today and gotten your letters. It probably sounds like a pathetic excuse, but I swear it's true._

_Congratulations on making Head Girl, and I know you'll grab a win for Gryffindor this year. After all, you are brilliant. Auror training is dangerous, but don't worry at worst I suspect I'll break a few bones. It's good to hear that you're keeping busy, and things here are hectic too, but it makes the time pass that little bit faster I guess._

_Of course I haven't met anyone else. There are only 4 girls here, one of them is involved with Malfoy and another, Susan Bones, is nice but she's a bit intense for me. The other two are a year or so older and they barely even speak to Nev and me anyway. You have nothing to worry about._

_Owl me your Hogsmeade dates for this term, I'll try and sneak out to meet you. I miss you._

_Love,_

_Harry.'_

The 'love' seemed natural this time as Harry finished the letter and folded it, 'Can I borrow Shakespeare Nev?'

'Sure,' Neville said as Harry tied the letter onto the owls leg and sent him out the open window.

**TBC :)  
**


	4. Training Continues

**An Unexpected Predicament**

**Chapter 4 – And the Training Continues**

With communication fixed between he and Ginny, Harry felt better as the weeks wore on and before he knew it they were approaching the end of October, meaning Harry had been in training for about a month and a half.

'Not very festive is it?' Susan grumbled as she sat in the dining hall at breakfast with Harry, Neville and Daphne.

'Why would it be?' Harry asked with a frown.

'Well, its Halloween,' Daphne said as if this were obvious.

'Oh,' Harry said with a frown, he hadn't even realised, 'is it?'

The others didn't pay much attention to the fact this distracted Harry, but throughout the day his standards dropped and he couldn't have been more relieved when he got back to his dorm after dinner. He shut the door and lay in his bed, sighing heavily.

'Sorry Harry, I know why today bothers you,' Neville's disembodied voice said from below.

'I'll be okay,' Harry said simply, 'Halloween just doesn't have the best memories.'

'I understand,' Neville admitted, 'my parents were tortured the day after yours died. I don't particularly like this time of year either.'

'Oh,' Harry said, feeling a bit heartless for not knowing that, 'sorry Nev.'

'Don't be,' Neville said as an owl tapped on the window, he opened it and it was Shakespeare.

'Is that a reply from Gin?' Harry asked eagerly.

'Nah, it's addressed to me,' Neville said and as he opened the letter Harry knew he should move away. From where he was lying he could see parts of the letter through the gap in the bunk. He was too nosy for his own good however so he read what he could see of the letter.

'_Neville,_

_Thought I'd drop you a line to see how you were doing. I know you hate this time of year, and I didn't want you to be alone for it-'_

Neville moved the letter after this so that Harry could only see the very last few lines.

'_I kind of miss you a little. Do you want to meet up one weekend when we both have the time? Hope you're doing okay. _

_Love,_

_Stephen.'_

Harry frowned, pretending not to notice as Neville sighed and put the letter away in his trunk without getting up to reply to it. Love Stephen? That seemed like a pretty odd thing to put at the end of a letter, he was curious but he said nothing, pushing the thought from his mind and offering Neville some of the firewhiskey he had managed to stash in the dorm room.

* * *

'Hey Hermione,' Harry said as he walked into her flat, 'is Ron in?'

'Nope, he's working,' Hermione said from the living room where she already had tea and biscuits set out, 'he normally is on Saturdays. You know how busy the Hogsmeade store can get.'

'Yeah, I'm going to meet Ginny there later today actually,' Harry said brightly.

'I am glad you got things sorted with her,' Hermione said honestly as they both sat down in the living room

'Me too,' Harry said with a smile, 'Oh Hermione, I wanted to ask you about something. Neville got a letter from this guy, Stephen Cornfoot, I think he was in our year-'

'He was, I think he was a Ravenclaw,' Hermione said with a nod.

'Well the letter was finished off with 'love Stephen',' Harry said with a frown, 'isn't that a bit weird? I mean Ron never puts 'love' in his letters to me.'

'Ron doesn't put 'love' in his letters to me Harry,' Hermione said in amusement, 'I wouldn't judge the world based on what he does.'

'True,' Harry admitted with amusement, 'but still, there's something odd about it. They met in the pub not that long ago and…well it seemed like they had a history.'

Hermione chewed her lip, 'I need to tell you something about Neville Harry,' she said, 'but you have to promise you won't change your opinion of him when you know, alright?'

'He's one of my best friends Hermione,' Harry said, 'I don't think anything could change my opinion of him.'

'Alright,' Hermione sighed, 'the reason Neville has never had a girlfriend is because he isn't interested in girls…'

Realisation dawned in Harry's eyes at these words, 'Oh,' he said simply, 'that makes sense of a lot of things.'

'Like what?' Hermione asked in vague amusement.

Harry replied, 'Well, the fact he's never had a girlfriend, and the weird letter from Stephen, and some of the comments he's made that I've not understood.'

'You won't change how you think of him, will you?' Hermione asked anxiously.

'No, of course I won't,' Harry said with a frown, 'I mean, why would I? It doesn't change anything.'

'Well to you it doesn't because it's not such a big thing in the Muggle world, but here in the wizarding world it's still very taboo,' Hermione informed Harry.

'What? It's illegal in the wizarding world?' Harry asked in shock.

'Not illegal, but frowned upon,' Hermione said, 'I mean people still are, but they hide it well. Especially in high class Pureblood families, a lot of them get married to create the heir but have lovers on the side, if you catch my drift.'

'I get it,' Harry said, 'it's not exactly something people shout about here.'

'Exactly,' Hermione said with a nod, 'So don't say anything to Neville, he might be mad if he knew I told you.'

'I'll keep my mouth shut,' Harry promised as he finished his tea and got to his feet, 'thanks for tea Hermione, but I've got to rush. I'm meeting Ginny in 15 minutes.'

'Have fun Harry!' Hermione called after him as he rushed out of the flat.

* * *

Standing outside the Three Broomsticks with all the school kids milling around in their Hogwarts uniforms was strange for Harry. He kept his head down, and surprisingly managed to get away with not being noticed until a certain redhead rushed up to him and pounced on him.

'Harry!' she exclaimed as she hugged him tightly, 'I've missed you.'

'I've missed you too,' Harry said with a grin as he kissed Ginny on the cheek, 'you look great.'

'So do you,' Ginny said brightly as she pulled Harry into the pub and they sat down in a secluded spot at the back, 'so tell me everything you've been up to.'

They spent the next half an hour talking, and when it came time to leave Harry half-heartedly kissed Ginny goodbye. She sighed, and looked up at him with disapointment shining in her eyes, 'You're heart still isn't in this, is it?' she asked quietly.

'I don't know what's wrong with me Gin,' Harry replied honestly, 'I'm just waiting for things to go back to the way they were before the war, but what if they never do?'

'I suppose we'll just have to cross that bridge when we come it,' Ginny said sadly as she turned and made her way for the path to the school.

Feeling quite miserable Harry apparated back to training and arrived in the dining hall at 6pm on the dot. He sat down at his usual table with Neville, Susan and Daphne and let out a sigh.

'Did the date not go well then?' Susan asked in slight amusement.

Harry shrugged and said, 'It probably sounds stupid, but things just don't feel the same.'

Daphne said with a raised eyebrow, 'That's probably a sign it isn't meant to be. Unless you're having that thing when you can't tell if you love someone as a friend or as something more.'

'I think that's it,' Harry said honestly as he pushed his food around his plate.

'Well,' Neville said, 'if you enjoy spending time with her and feel comfortable talking to her, that's friendship. If you have a burning desire to see her all the time, and can't fight the excitement when you do…or if you feel giddy when you're with her, then that's love.'

'Wow Nev,' Susan said as she patted him on the hand, 'that's pretty deep.'

'And pretty much proof I'm not in love with Ginny,' Harry said as he let his head fall heavily onto the table.

* * *

Later that evening when Harry and Neville were alone in their dorm Neville said to Harry, 'What's up with you? You've been radiating tension since you got back.'

'Ah, it's nothing,' Harry said as he dropped down from his bunk and sat at the desk.

'You're a terrible liar mate,' Neville said with slight amusement, 'you're going to have to get better than that if you want to keep us alive.'

Harry smiled slightly, and Neville said, 'You know don't you?'

'Know what?' Harry asked, playing dumb.

'You know,' Neville reiterated, 'Hermione told you.'

'Yeah, she did, but she told me not to tell you that she had,' Harry blurted out quickly.

Neville shrugged and said, 'I don't mind, it was going to come at some point after all. Is it a problem for you? If you want to change partners we can talk to Sumner-'

'Neville, stop being a twat,' Harry said chuckled, 'I'm hardly gonna switch partners because of this am I? You're still one of my best friends, and you're my partner. It doesn't change anything, don't worry about it.'

Neville sighed in relief, 'Thanks Harry, I hoped you'd take it okay, but I was still worried.'

'Well I don't know how much you know about the Muggle world, but it's pretty accepted there,' Harry informed Neville, 'so it's not really a big deal to me.'

'I wish it was accepted in the wizarding world,' Neville said, sighing heavily.

'Well it wasn't really accepted in the Muggle world until quite recently,' Harry said, trying to reassure Neville, 'I'm sure things will get better here.'

'Maybe,' Neville said simply.

'So, Stephen then,' Harry said a little awkwardly, 'was he your…'

Neville shrugged, 'He was my friend to begin with. He helped me start up the DA, along with Ginny and Luna. You were gone, and we didn't have any leaders so he encouraged me to take on the role, got me through the tougher times at Hogwarts, you know? We have a history.'

'Right,' Harry said, 'I always wondered how you ended up leading it,' he said honestly, 'it was kind of my thing, you know?'

'Sorry,' Neville said sheepishly, 'we needed something, even if it wasn't doing anything. We just needed the hope that we could maybe make a small change.'

'I guess,' Harry said.

'And you did just run off, without any goodbyes except to Ginny,' Neville added with a frown, 'for all I knew you were dead.'

'You had that little faith in me?' Harry joked weakly.

'I didn't have much faith in anything,' Neville admitted quietly, 'I was unsure of everything during the war. I know you were never as close to me as you were to Ron and Hermione, but a goodbye might have been nice.'

'I'm sorry Neville,' Harry said as he glanced to his friend, 'I never really thought about how my disappearance affected people around me. I mean, I didn't even tell Luna after all she had done for me. So how did this Stephen get involved? No offence to the guy, but I'd never heard of him before.'

Neville replied, 'He was a friend of mine before the war who got attacked because he was a Half-blood. I took him into the Room of Requirement and he got involved from there.'

'So what were his expertise?' Harry asked curiously.

'He was sort of in charge of supplies. He made sure everyone had food, and rationed out what we did have,' Neville said, frowning, 'why are you asking so many questions about him anyway?'

'I don't know,' Harry replied honestly, 'it just feels kind of wrong, knowing you were leading the DA with someone else when I was gone.'

'Harry,' Neville said with vague amusement, 'you sound kind of jealous.'

'No,' Harry said, frowning deeply, 'why would you say that?'

Neville raised an eyebrow at his friend, 'Well you're kind of complaining about the fact that I led the DA. But it's not the fact I led it that's bothering you, it's the fact I led it with someone else who wasn't you.'

Harry sighed and said, 'If you really want to know whats bothering me Neville it's the fact that the DA was sort of our thing. Ever since we talked that night and you told me about your parents, it kind of felt like we were doing it to better ourselves so one day we could do right by them, avenge them, you know? Nobody else understood it like you did, because we were both doing it for the same reason. It just feels wrong, thinking about you doing it with someone else,' he shrugged, 'if that means I'm jealous, then so be it, maybe I am.'

'Okay, you've admitted you're jealous,' Neville said in amusement, 'but this is getting far too philosophical for me now. Can I suggest that we call it a night?'

'Probably a good idea,' Harry agreed as he climbed into his bunk once more, 'so are you going to meet up with Stephen?'

'Well I thought maybe I-' Neville began before he realised something, 'hang on a minute, I never mentioned meeting up with Stephen. Did you read my letter?'

'Uh, I saw glimpses of it,' Harry said sheepishly.

'Bloody hell,' Neville said, sounding vaguely amused, 'a nosy, jealous room-mate. What have I let myself in for?'

Harry chuckled as he drew the Marauders map from under his pillow and opened it up. Lighting up the map with his wand as the lights cut out, that was 9pm curfew. He looked down to the map, frowning when he noticed that Ginny wasn't in the common room, or in her dorm room. Instead she was on the 4th floor with someone by the name of William Morrison, they were just walking along the corridor but Harry felt anxious about it. He convinced himself that it was nothing, probably just the Head Boy and they were on patrol, then he hid the map and muttered, 'Nox' as he heard footsteps padding along the corridor outside.

* * *

November flew by, with training still as intensive as ever. Harry continued to improve in the physical activities and remained top of the class in duelling, and in the track, but he still hadn't been able to overtake Neville on the obstacle course. His grades were passable, the grading system was different from that at Hogwarts, instead of many different grades there was pass and fail. To pass you had to get 70% or more, and so far Harry and Neville had passed all of their assignments. They hadn't yet had any joint assignments, but they knew at some point they would. Time was actually passing quite quickly because Harry was enjoying himself so much, he kept up his letters to Ginny but they seemed to be more like a chore these days.

On the 1st of December, as Harry had sent off another pretty boring letter to Ginny, Susan and Daphne banged through the door, 'Sumner's making an announcement for our year in the duelling hall in 10 minutes!' they exclaimed excitedly.

Harry and Neville were both dressed, even though it was only 10 to 6 in the morning, so they rushed after the two girls to the duelling hall which was a couple of floors down. When they got there they realised Sumner was already there, standing up in front of the chairs as usual, he rarely sat down. They were the last to arrive so as they took their seats Sumner began to speak, 'So we're in December now. You don't get a lot of time off base for it, you can leave here after lunch on Christmas Eve, and you get Christmas day off. We expect you back here for dinner on Boxing Day. Am I understood?'

There was an echo of, 'Yes sir,' around the hall.

'Now, I'm not one for giving out presents, but here we have a tradition around Christmas time. I assess you this month, and the pair I deem the best get a nice little present, because that's how generous we are here,' Sumner said curtly, 'that present is a chance to have a go in the simulation room. For those of you who don't know, the simulation room is where we train recruits before we let them out on real training missions, it has many complex spells on it which simulate a mission like scenario.'

There were excited looks around the room, and Harry and Neville shared a grin.

'So get your asses into gear if you want a go in that room,' Sumner added, 'because I'm not just going on rankings here. The best team to me will be the one that works best together, the one that has the best rankings overall and the one that has the skills I think are important for Aurors. Alright?'

'Yes sir,' the group all echoed once more.

'Right, get to breakfast then. I'll see you all for outdoor activity later, and I don't care that's it snowing.'

As they all left the hall Regina and Olivia grumbled about having to do the training exercises outside in the snow, but Harry and Neville were thinking about something else.

'We're getting in that simulation room,' Harry said, determination glinting in his eyes.

'Yes,' Neville agreed with a nod, 'no way we're missing out on that chance.'

'Watch your backs boys,' Daphne said as she and Susan caught up with them.

'Yeah, you're not the only exceptional team here you know,' Susan said as she raised her eyebrow at them both.

'Excuse me, how many snakes have you beheaded between the two of you?' Harry asked sarcastically, smirking at the girls.

'I believe the answer to that is none Harry,' Neville said in amusement, turning to the scowling girls, 'and how many evil dark wizards have you defeated?'

'I'm pretty sure the answer to that is none too Neville,' Harry said with a smirk.

'Oh shut up you cocky bastards,' Daphne said with narrowed eyes, 'that just makes us more determined to kick your asses.'

'Go ahead and try,' Harry said in amusement.

'Yeah, good luck with that,' Neville added as they walked away.

Susan hissed angrily, 'Ugh, those two are even cockier since they became a team!'

* * *

As December passed Harry and Neville were even more determined to be the best than before, but so were Susan and Daphne. The rankings had never been closer, but Neville and Harry were still ahead as they came into the third week of December. Harry had just come back from doing his Christmas shopping on Saturday the 19th of December when he bumped into an excited Susan, 'Harry, you're back! It's tonight!'

'Huh?' Harry asked, feeling clueless as he and Susan walked up to the dorm rooms, 'what's tonight?'

'Sumner unveils tonight who won the challenge, and who gets the simulation room!' Susan exclaimed, 'it's because we go a bit easy from now on, in the lead up to Christmas,' she added.

Harry grinned, 'So when is it tonight?'

'Right after dinner, in the duelling hall,' Susan said as they reached the dorm and Harry walked in.

'Thanks Susan,' he said as he dumped his bags on his bunk, 'Still confident you're going to win?'

'We'll see,' Susan said and Harry chuckled as he shut the dorm room door.

Dinner was a busy affair that night, with everyone talking excitedly about the unveiling and making bets and guesses at who it would be. The second the bell rang to signify the end of dinner the first year recruits rushed to the duelling hall like a shot where Sumner was waiting for them. Their group had decreased a little since September, Seamus was gone, his grades just hadn't been up to scratch so he'd been asked to leave, and Kevin was gone too, something that pleased most people. Unsurprisingly he'd transferred to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement when he was still coming last in training by quite a long way two months in.

Harry, Neville, Susan and Daphne were all still around, as were Olivia and Regina, and Lee was now paired with Hamish. Their number had dropped from 10 to 8, and Sumner was sure it would drop again before they finished training.

'Alright you lot, time for the big announcement,' Sumner said sarcastically, 'the most useless team were Wood and Davies, you've been last in the rankings all month, you might work well together, but that isn't good enough.'

Olivia and Regina looked disappointed, but they seemed to have been expecting this. After all, they knew they were last in the rankings.

'The second worst team was MacDougal and Jordan,' Sumner said curtly, 'you're not bad, but you're not up there with our best recruits either.'

Also looking disappointed Hamish and Lee nodded, and Sumner continued, 'the runners up, by 2 points in the ranks were Bones and Greengrass. You two are good, damn good, you just can't compete with the winners in the ranks. In terms of team work and Auror traits, well you have it all. It was the ranks that let you down.'

Susan and Daphne looked both disappointed and infuriated as Sumner finished, 'So that means our winners are Potter and Longbottom, the saviour and his snake-killing sidekick.'

Harry and Neville were grinning as Sumner handed them the key to the simulation room, 'You have the whole morning in there tomorrow boys. Enjoy it.'

'Thank you sir,' Harry and Neville said, both beaming as he left the room.

'2 points in the ranks? Come on!' Daphne said, still angry that she and Susan had lost.

'You cannot be serious!' Susan said, also angry.

'No, Sirius was my Godfather,' Harry said in amusement.

'What?' Susan asked sharply, realising what he meant, 'shut up Harry.'

'You're just jealous, admit it,' Neville said as he waved the key in front of them, 'you wanted this, didn't you?'

Daphne narrowed her eyes angrily at them, Harry chuckled and said, 'tough luck. Guess you'll get a go in second semester like everyone else.'

'Well, enjoy it,' Susan said with a sigh, 'and tell us all about it.'

'Course we will,' Neville said as the group left the hall for their dorms.

**TBC :)**


	5. The Simulation Room

**An Unexpected Predicament**

**Chapter 5 – The Simulation Room**

'Are you nervous?'

'A little bit,' Neville admitted sheepishly, 'are you?'

'Yeah, a little,' Harry said honestly as they stood outside the door to the simulation room which was on basement level, in the same part of the building as the pool.

'Well whatever happens it's not real,' Neville reasoned, 'it's just spells simulating a scenario based on our brain waves.'

'So it will be unique to us? Both of us?' Harry asked as he put the key in the lock.

'I don't know,' Neville said honestly as Harry turned the key, 'I think so.'

Harry nodded, 'Okay,' he said as he grasped the handle, 'ready?'

'Ready,' Neville confirmed. Harry opened the door and together they walked in, the door shut behind them automatically and then vanished. It was clear they didn't get out until they had completed their mission.

Harry looked around, instantly recognising the room that they were in. It was large and grand with expensive antique trappings and a large fireplace.

'Neville, you won't know this place, but I do it's-'

'Malfoy Manor,' Neville finished with a nod, 'the drawing room to be precise.'

Harry gaped at his friend for a moment, 'What? How…how do you know that?'

'I've been here,' Neville said simply, 'Draco and I became friends, sort of, in the war while you were away with Ron and Hermione. I visited him after it.'

'Oh, right,' Harry said, frowning as he looked around the empty room, 'so what are we doing here?'

'I have no idea,' Neville said, also scanning the room, both of them pulled their wands out, prepared for whatever was going to happen next.

'Let's have a look around,' Harry suggested, walking towards a large door on the right and opening it. They emerged into an entrance hall, almost as grand as that of Hogwarts.

'Harry!' Neville exclaimed, pointing to something by the stairs. Harry frowned as he followed Neville's line of sight and saw a dead body.

'Susan,' Harry muttered, rushing over to his redheaded friend, with Neville close at his heels. It was clear from a quick glance that she had been killed with the killing curse, but working with what they knew from basic healing they checked anyway.

'Eyes wide in fear, no visible burn marks from spell residue,' Neville muttered, waving his wand and adding, 'and no residue in the air either. More than likely she was killed with the killing curse.'

Harry nodded in agreement, 'You're probably right.'

'Lucius Malfoy has to be behind this,' Neville said with a frown as he looked around the room.

'What makes you say that?' Harry asked, also glancing nervously around the large hall.

'Well we're in his house, and I know for a fact that Susan and Draco are friends, he wouldn't do this to her. You saw him in 6th year, he couldn't even kill Dumbledore who he hated,' Neville said, 'or it could be Narcissa Malfoy, come to think of it.'

Harry shook his head immediately, 'No, she's got a son the same age as Susan. She lied to Voldemort to save her son, she wouldn't kill someone his age. She was only doing what Lucius told her to, so she could keep her son safe.'

'How do you know all of this?' Neville asked with a frown.

'She saved my life in the war,' Harry said honestly, 'and so did Malfoy. You're right, Lucius must be behind this.'

'Right, good,' Neville said with a nod, 'so what now?'

'We find him,' Harry said simply, 'but it depends what he's doing. If he's got captives he'll be in the cellar, if he doesn't he'll probably be in his study.'

'Let's see if there's anyone else here first,' Neville suggested, murmuring a revealing charm and nodding when the spell finished, 'there's human presence here, and it's not just us.'

'As we suspected,' Harry said, 'I don't think splitting up is a good idea. Shall we check upstairs first?'

Neville nodded, so with their wands out they made their way up the marble staircase onto the first floor of the manor. They walked along the corridor, pushing doors open and checking inside, they found no one however so continued onto the second floor. They kept up with their tactic of pushing doors open, and this time they found something.

As Harry pushed open one of the doors he saw a figure beneath the bed covers, motioning to Neville with his hand, they both entered the room and Harry said gently, 'come out, we're Aurors, we're here to help.'

They both had their wands trained on the lump, but when a head emerged both Harry and Neville dropped their wands, sighing in relief.

'Daphne,' Neville realised, although it was hard to tell that it was her given how bruised and bloody her face was.

'N…Neville,' she said shakily as the Gryffindor helped her up, letting her hold the covers around herself for modesty considering how ripped and tattered her robes were.

'What happened Daphne?' Harry asked gently, aware Daphne was in a lot of shock right now.

'We got here after the neighbours called in suspicious activity, they said…they heard screaming,' Daphne said, still very shaky, 'in the entrance hall he came at us and he…he…Susan…she-'

'I know Daphne,' Neville soothed, hugging his friend as she broke down into uncontrollable sobs, 'Who did this? Was it Lucius Malfoy?'

Daphne nodded and said tearfully, 'he's dead Neville,' she choked through her sobs, 'he killed Draco and he…he took him to the basement, he's dead.'

Once more Daphne was crying uncontrollably and Neville wrapped his arms around her properly, 'we can't leave her alone Harry. You should go and find Lucius, I'll be with you as soon as I can.'

'Neville, we shouldn't split up,' Harry argued, 'you heard Sumner, partners are always supposed to watch each other's backs.'

'I don't care Harry, I'm not leaving her like this,' Neville argued with a fire in his eyes.

'You said yourself earlier, it's not real,' Harry said softly,

'Real or not real I'm doing what I would if this were real, and that's to stay with Daphne,' Neville said firmly.

'Fine,' Harry said in frustration as he left the room and jogged back down to the entrance hall, feeling sick as he passed Susan's dead body once more. He rushed through the drawing room and made his way quietly down the narrow steps to the basement, he wasn't surprised when he saw the door slightly ajar, and he realised he was walking into a trap, but he went inside anyway.

'Ah hello Mr. Potter,' Lucius Malfoy said smoothly as he sat in a chair in the middle of the damp, dank cellar, 'I was hoping to see you. Things have been so terribly boring and quiet since the war, haven't they? We all need to get our fun somehow.'

'And how have you been getting yours Lucius?' Harry spat.

Lucius smirked and motioned to a dark corner of the room where someone Harry knew very well was bound to a chair with magical rope, she was silenced but it was clear she was trying to shout Harry's name.

'With your girlfriend, Mr. Potter,' he said silkily as he got to his feet, 'she wasn't much fun at first, she didn't respond then to the cruciatus curse, but she does now.'

'What the hell have you done to her Lucius?' Harry hissed as he took a step closer to the man. Ginny looked to be in a better state than Daphne, although she was covered in cuts and bruises.

'Oh nothing compared to the fun I had with your little female Auror friend,' Lucius said with a rather demented chuckle, 'but your girlfriend did make me dinner last night. I find they tend to get less resistant to the imperius curse after they've been tortured. I'd rethink marrying her Potter, she's not a very good cook.'

'Why are you doing this?' Harry shouted angrily.

'Tut, tut Potter,' Lucius said, shaking his head, 'not everybody's here yet.'

Harry frowned as the door to the cellar banged open and a man dressed in a black cloak dragged an unconscious Neville into the room, 'Neville!' Harry exclaimed, his wand still trained on Lucius.

'Ah,' Lucius said with a smile, 'I see you had no problems capturing Potters little friend.'

'No Mr. Malfoy,' the man, who Harry now knew to be MacNair, Buckbeaks executioner, said, 'just like you said, he was too busy trying to help the girl, didn't even check to see if anybody was in the cupboard.'

Lucius laughed and said, 'Ah, the standards really are lacking in Auror training these days, aren't they?'

MacNair guffawed at this and Lucius asked, 'and the girl? Did you deal with her?'

'Dead Mr. Malfoy, just like the other one,' MacNair said obediently.

'Good,' Lucius said happily, 'now we can get down to the real business.'

'And what's that?' Harry asked, his eyes flicking from Neville to Lucius.

'Well Mr. Potter, you may remember a conversation you had with my son after the war,' Lucius said as he paced the wet floor of the cellar, 'you spoke to him about where his loyalties lay if I recall.'

'So what if I did?' Harry asked, still looking over to Neville who was beginning to stir now, but he was bound, just like Ginny.

'That little conversation turned my own son against me Potter,' Lucius hissed, 'and because of that look where he is now,' he motioned to another corner of the room, and as Harry squinted through the darkness he saw Draco's lifeless body lying in the water ridden part of the basement.

'Nobody forced you to take your own sons life Lucius,' Harry said coolly, 'that was your choice and yours alone.'

'Perhaps, but it is a choice I would not have been forced to make, had you not meddled with my sons brain,' Lucius said, calm and cool once more.

'You forced him to choose where his loyalties lay Potter, and it seemed they were not with me,' Lucius said, pacing once more, 'so now I will force you to choose yours.'

Harry frowned, not yet understanding where Lucius was going with this as he grabbed Ginny from the chair and pulled her into the centre of the room, she barely even fought back, she didn't have the energy. Harry watched in confusion as Lucius conjured a chair and placed it near Ginny, he motioned to MacNair who then dragged Neville over and put him in it. As he began to wake up he was bound once more, this time to the chair, and he was silenced like Ginny.

Lucius then pointed his wand at Ginny and uttered the counter-charm so she could speak once more.

'Harry!' Ginny shouted in panic, 'HARRY! HARRY!'

'Shut up girl!' Lucius barked loudly, slapping Ginny hard across the face.

'Don't lay another hand on her Lucius!' Harry snapped, his wand aimed at Lucius once more.

'What are you going to do, Potter?' Lucius asked with a grin, 'kill me?'

'You don't even have your wand out,' Harry said darkly, 'I could.'

'Oh you could, but you won't,' Lucius said as he approached Harry, 'because I've got a plan devised here Potter. If you kill me, I kill your girlfriend, and your boyfriend.'

MacNair guffawed once more and Lucius said, 'because you see Potter. MacNair has his wand trained on Longbottom here, ready to kill him the second you kill me. And little Ginny Weasley over here, well she has a proximity curse on her. If you get within 2 metres of her it will trigger, blowing her _and _you to pieces. I don't think we want that to happen now, do we?'

Harry didn't answer, and Lucius laughed coolly, 'I have engineered the curse, it has a unique code you see, so that only I can get near her. You know what that means, don't you Potter?'

'Only you can lift it,' Harry muttered.

'Precisely,' Lucius said smoothly, 'therefore I'm not much used to you dead. Am I?'

Harry didn't respond to the question, he kept trying to tell himself that this wasn't real, but his brain kept over-writing that thought with things like _but it feels so real _and _we can see, hear, and smell our surroundings, how can they __**not **__be real?_

Lucius sighed and said, 'I'm getting bored of talking. Let's have a little fun, we'll start with your girlfriend, I think.'

Harry's wand hand was shaking as Lucius took out his wand once more and trained it on Ginny, 'Crucio!'

Ginny's screams immediately pierced the air, echoing around the damp concrete walls of the cellar.

'NO!' Harry screamed as Ginny writhed, her body distorting in ways that it shouldn't, her blood-curdling screams lodging themselves into his brain, 'NO!'

Harry shut his eyes tightly and images flashed before him, images of Hermione writhing in pain, of her lying on the floor silent with tears rolling down her face, with words carved into her arm. Her screams played in his head, adding substance to Ginny's, they melded together, both of them screaming in agony, screaming in pain, screaming for _him _to help them.

As Harry opened his eyes again he realised he had come out in a sweat and that his wand hand was shaking so much his accuracy would be completely off. He couldn't tell anymore, he couldn't tell what was real and what wasn't, it all felt real. The burning smell of the curse, like burning skin, the piercing screams coming from Ginny's lungs. The putrid air of the damp cellar, Ginny's lithe form twisted and broken on the ground.

Lucius was laughing like a maniac as he ended the spell, leaving Ginny weak and crying on the floor. Harry wanted to go to her, but he couldn't, not without killing everyone in this room, so he stood frozen to the spot, unable to move.

'I believe you have a decision to make Potter,' Lucius said coolly, 'choose where your loyalties lie. With your girlfriend here, or with your precious Auror partner.'

Neville was awake and alert and shouting something now, but Harry couldn't lip-read very well so he had no idea what it was he was trying to convey.

Lucius was still chuckling as he opened up part of the wall, revealing a secret passageway, 'that's your way out of here Potter, but there's a catch.'

'Of course there is,' Harry hissed angrily, 'the wards will only let two people out. You want me to choose.'

'Ah, Mr. Potter. You _are _smarter than I believed you to be,' Lucius said with a smirk, 'MacNair and I are going to leave this room, setting fire to it as we do so. You can attempt to take them both, but when you reach the wards you will all disintegrate.'

Harry's heart was pounding as Lucius walked towards the door, taking the proximity spell off Ginny as he did so. She couldn't even muster up the energy to look up at Harry, let alone get up from the ground. As Lucius left the room he said, 'good luck,' and with a manic laugh he was gone and the door snapped shut and locked. The second it did so fire roared up from all directions and Harry had seconds to pick who he would take with him. He acted on instinct, and was surprised when he found himself undoing Neville's binds, grabbing his wrist and dragging him to the secret passage. Leaving a silent Ginny behind to burn.

When they entered the passageway a doorway, slid shut behind them, sealing off the cellar. Harry took the silencing charm off of Neville as they ran flat out along the passage.

'What the hell are you doing?' Neville shouted angrily, 'that was your girlfriend you left to die!'

'And you're my partner Neville!' Harry shouted back, 'you're my partner, and partners _always _watch each other's backs! That's what they want us to do, that's what Sumner always drums into our heads!'

'Ah, how sweet.'

Harry and Neville both stopped abruptly as they reached the end of the passage where Lucius was waiting for them. He laughed once more and said, 'you didn't really think I'd let them both live, did you Potter?'

'Don't you dare Lucius,' Harry hissed, pulling his wand out, but it was too late. Lucius already had his wand, and it was already trained on Neville. No matter what he did Harry wasn't going to be fast enough.

'AVADA KEDAVRA!'

'NO! NEVILLE! NO!' Harry screamed, dropping to his knees next to Neville's pale form, watching the life drain out of him, 'no! Neville! No!' he sobbed uncontrollably over his friend and partners dead body, the smell of death mixing with that of damp and decay. The only sound being Lucius's fading maniacal laughter.

'Harry…Harry…HARRY!'

Harry frowned, opening his eyes and realising that he was lying on the floor of an entirely white room, as he stood up he grabbed his wand and pointed it towards the voice, only then realising that it was Neville.

'Neville,' Harry gasped, getting to his feet and wrapping his arms tightly around his friend, 'Neville, you're alive!'

'It wasn't real Harry,' Neville said gently, but Harry could still smell the damp, hear the laughter, feel the fresh tears on his cheeks. It felt comforting, as Neville hugged him back, saying quietly, 'it was just an illusion.'

'But…but you were dead Neville,' Harry said, his voice shaking, and his hands too, 'I saw it…I saw him kill you…I…I saw you die!'

'Harry, it was a simulation,' Neville said gently, pulling back from the hug, 'it was nothing, it wasn't real. You knew that when we went in, you even reminded me. What happened?'

'I…I don't know,' Harry said, his hands still shaking uncontrollably. Neville gripped his wrists, holding them still as the door opened and Sumner walked in.

'I do,' he said darkly, 'Potter you may well have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, it occurs when someone has gone through significant emotional stress. Things trigger flashbacks, I saw it in the simulation. The torturing of your girlfriend flashed you back to the war.'

Harry nodded weakly, it made sense, but it was also a lot to take in.

'I've spoken to Cora Carson in the hospital wing. You have to see her for a psych evaluation, if she diagnoses PTSD then you'll need treatment, we can't have that happening on a field mission,' Sumner said, he wasn't being harsh or mean, he was actually being reassuring.

'Yes sir,' Harry said weakly.

'Longbottom, take him to the hospital wing,' Sumner said to Neville who nodded and said, 'Yes sir.'

'And Longbottom,' Sumner added in an undertone, 'stay with him today, just in case.'

Neville nodded once more, putting his arm around Harry's shoulder and leading his shaky friend out of the room.

They didn't talk as they walked to the hospital wing, and when they got there Neville managed to get Harry to drink some water which helped him get a little bit back to himself.

'I hate hospital wings,' he groaned.

'You must be feeling better,' Neville said with a faint smile.

'Do I really need a psych evaluation?' Harry asked helplessly, 'do they think I'm insane?'

'No, they don't,' Neville said honestly, 'but if you do have PTSD they need to get to the bottom of it so you don't flashback to something from the war out on a training mission, it's the sort of thing that can get people killed.'

'I know,' Harry admitted, although he didn't like to admit it.

'Potter,' the kind middle-aged matron called from the door to her office, 'I have a moment now.'

'I'll wait here,' Neville assured Harry as he walked into Cora's office, a little less shaky than he had been on the way here.

* * *

'Hello Mr. Potter,' Cora said with a smile, she had dark brown hair with specks of grey in it and a kind smile, she reminded Harry of Mrs. Weasley, 'Senior Auror Sumner has informed me you ran into some problems in simulation earlier today.'

Harry merely nodded.

'Would you care to explain to me what happened?' Cora asked kindly.

'Everything went fine until my girlfriend, well she's not _really _my girlfriend, I mean she was, but its complicated now. Anyway, sorry, in the simulation she got tortured,' Harry rambled, 'it made me flashback to something similar that happened in the war. After that I couldn't tell that it wasn't real anymore, it felt like I was back in the war all over again.'

'Okay,' Cora said, jotting this down, 'well it's likely that it's PTSD. It's very common in the aftermath of the war, but a few sessions of therapy tends to sort out minor cases, and I believe yours is minor.'

Harry nodded once more, and Cora continued, 'however I do have to do a standard evaluation too, just to rule anything else out.'

'What do you want to know?' Harry asked, eager to get it over with.

'Well, let's start with your childhood. You were raised by your Muggle Aunt and Uncle, yes?' Cora asked.

'Yes,' Harry replied simply.

'And what was that like?' Cora asked curiously.

Harry shrugged, 'Miserable really. They lied to me about my parents, told me that they had died in a car crash, and they acted like I didn't exist, they were ashamed of me because I was magical. For years they tried to squash it out of me by making me sleep in the cupboard under the stairs. I never had friends at school because my cousin told them all I was a freak, I never got to go anywhere, they left me in the house when they went out or stuck me with a crazy cat lady… I had to cook them breakfast, and dinner sometimes, and they treated me like it was my fault that I was magical.'

'Did you always know, that you were magical?' Cora asked.

'No,' Harry replied, 'strange things happened to me, but I didn't understand them. Not until I got my Hogwarts letter.'

'But they knew and didn't tell you?'

'They thought if they ignored it, then it just wouldn't happen,' Harry said a little bitterly.

'And did they ever physically hurt you? Your Aunt or Uncle?' Cora asked, jotting things down on her piece of parchment.

'Rarely,' Harry said quietly.

'I need you to elaborate Mr. Potter,' Cora said gently.

Harry sighed and said, 'when my Uncle got really irritated he hit me sometimes, but my Aunt…she did it once, just once.'

'And when was the first occurrence of this violence that you remember?' Cora asked, still in that gentle, soft voice.

'Uh,' Harry said as he tried to remember exactly, 'I was 8 or 9, I think.'

'And your cousin, did he ever hurt you?' Cora asked.

'Oh bloody hell, all the time,' Harry said with a sigh, 'I was Dudley's personal punch bag as far as he was concerned. I got good at dodging it and avoiding him as I got older though.'

'Alright,' Cora said with a sigh, 'so your childhood was fairly traumatic, what about your Hogwarts years?'

'Ironically, they were the best years of my life,' Harry said with a smile, 'despite everything that happened.'

Cora smiled and said, 'I understand, Hogwarts is a magical place, you can't help but be enamored with it.'

'Yeah,' Harry said, still smiling, 'very true.'

'Okay, so tell me about your relationships,' Cora said, still smiling, 'you must have had a few while you were at Hogwarts.'

Harry chuckled and shook his head, 'No, just the two.'

Cora smiled once more, 'So who was the first?'

'Cho Chang,' Harry said, 'she was a Ravenclaw in the year above me at Hogwarts. We dated in my 5th year.'

'And was it a happy relationship?' Cora asked.

Harry laughed a little bitterly and shook his head, 'Uh, no. I liked her in 4th year, but she had a boyfriend. Her boyfriend then died in the Triwizard Tournament when Voldemort came back. She spent most of our only date crying about him…it never really worked out.'

'I'm sorry about that,' Cora said, 'did it affect you emotionally? The death of Cedric Diggory? And the later death of your Godfather?'

'Cedric's death messed me up for a bit, but I've been over it for a long time,' Harry reassured Cora, 'and although I miss my Godfather, I can talk about him now and remember him fondly without being upset about it.'

'What about the war? You must have gone through a lot of pain in the war, did you lose people you loved?' Cora asked, she was being intrusive but Harry understood that she had no choice, this was her job after all and it _was _in his best interests.

'Yeah, I lost people, but didn't everyone?'

'You're avoiding the question Mr. Potter,' Cora said, prodding gently.

'I know,' Harry said, sighing heavily, 'I lost a man I loved like a Father, and his wife. I'm the Godfather to their little boy, and I lost them both. I lost a man who was like a brother to me. I lost my friend…he was so young, only in his 6th year…That was all just in the final battle, before that another man I saw as a role model died, and so did my owl who I'd had since I started Hogwarts, and Dumbledore who I admired, he died too.'

Cora nodded and said, 'So much trauma for someone so young.'

Harry shrugged and said, 'I've come to terms with Dumbledore, and even with Remus and Tonks. In fact I've come to terms with it all, I know they all died for a purpose, I don't think they died for me anymore. But that did take galleons of therapy over the summer to work through that.'

'Well therapy does help,' Cora said with a smile, 'and I'm glad to hear that it has already. Now, what incident did the torturing of your girlfriend make you flashback to?'

'It was during the war, my friends and I were captured in Malfoy Manor,' Harry began with a sigh, 'my friend, Hermione, she was taken to the drawing room and tortured while we were in the cellar underneath. I could hear her screams, and she screamed my name…when Ginny was tortured in the simulation I flashed back to that moment and when I came to it felt like I was back there again.'

'So it was a combination of the events and the location,' Cora realised, smiling as she jotted something down, 'that's good Mr. Potter. I do believe your case is very mild, but I recommend two months of therapy. Once a week here with me. If I think you're ready by the end of that time that will be us done, if not I'll recommend more meetings.'

'Okay,' Harry agreed with a nod, 'I want to fix this. It can't happen in the field, people could get hurt.'

'That's exactly the sort of mind-set you need here,' Cora said happily as she showed Harry out, 'I'll see you next week Mr. Potter.'

Harry nodded and walked over to Neville who was conversing with Sumner in undertones.

'Ah, Potter, how are you feeling?' Sumner asked.

'Better sir,' Harry said, 'I've been recommended for two months of therapy. Matron Carson thinks I have a mild form of PTSD.'

'Well then we should be thankful it's nothing more than mild,' Sumner said as he patted Harry on the shoulder, 'I was just telling Longbottom that you are both excused from your duties today, and you may take meals in your quarters if you so wish.'

'Thank you sir, but that won't be necessary,' Harry said, glancing at the time and realising that it was 5 minutes until lunch anyway and all that happened after that was free time.

Sumner nodded and said, 'Good, I'll see you bright eyed and bushy tailed tomorrow morning, I assume?'

'Definitely sir,' Harry said as Sumner walked towards Cora's office. Harry sighed and fell in step with Neville, 'That was his idea of a Christmas present?'

'It was pretty morbid, and depressing,' Neville agreed with a sigh, 'are you sure you're okay to go to lunch with everybody else?'

Harry nodded, 'I'm fine. Let's just go to the dining hall for lunch and act like things are normal.'

Neville nodded, and asked, 'How did the psych evaluation go?'

'Great,' Harry said sarcastically, 'talking about my troubled past was so much fun.'

Neville chuckled and patted him on the back, 'At least it's done, and two months therapy isn't too bad.'

'Yeah, you're right,' Harry agreed, 'and if it stops that ever happening again I'll be happy.'

'So will I,' Neville said quietly, 'it was painful to watch.'

'Sorry,' Harry muttered, Neville chuckled and said, 'I don't know why _you're _apologising.'

Harry shrugged, but the conversation came to an end as they reached the dining hall, they got trays and piled them with food then sat down, and in seconds they were joined by Susan and Daphne who looked curious, excited and_ alive._

'So what was it like?' Susan asked eagerly.

'Was it as good as everyone says it is?' Daphne asked with wide eyes.

'No,' Harry muttered darkly, 'it wasn't much of a fucking Christmas present.'

Susan frowned, 'Why? What happened?'

'Well,' Neville said with a sideways glance to Harry, 'let's just say it was very realistic.'

'Okay…do elaborate,' Daphne said with narrowed eyes.

Neville sighed and said, 'Well first of all we arrived in Malfoy Manor and found you dead on the entrance hall floor Susan.'

'Oh, charming,' Susan said with vague amusement.

'And then we found you Daphne,' Neville said a little awkwardly, 'beaten up and…compromised...in Lucius Malfoy's bedroom.'

Daphne made a face of disgust, and Neville said with a sigh, 'we broke the first basic rule of Auror training and separated, after that I'm not really sure what happened.'

Harry took over, still a bit shaky but a lot more stable, 'I found Lucius in the basement, he had Ginny captive and Draco was dead. I talked to Draco after the war, it was a 5 minute chat at best, but I told him he needed to figure out where his loyalties lay, with his family or elsewhere. That was why it was so realistic, because that really did happen. Either way Lucius said that by doing that I had made Draco turn against him, so he had killed him. He said since I made Draco choose where his loyalties lay he would do the same to me, he tortured Ginny and then set fire to the place and told me I could only save Ginny or Neville who had also been captured.'

'So who did you save?' Susan asked curiously.

'Ginny obviously,' Daphne said, 'I mean, she's practically his girlfriend.'

Harry opened his mouth to tell them the truth but Neville cut in and said, 'Yeah, of course he saved Ginny.'

Harry was confused at the fact Neville had lied, but he said no more, and instead opted to quietly tuck into his lunch. He assumed Neville gave the girls some sort of warning look because they didn't talk about the simulation room again after that.

**TBC :)  
**


	6. Merry Christmas

**An Unexpected Predicament**

**Chapter 6 – Merry Christmas**

Harry was expecting it, in fact he couldn't believe it had taken Neville so long. They had barely talked after dinner. Harry had watched Ginny on the Marauders map for a while, just to reassure himself that she was okay, and Neville had been reading a book. They were silent right up until the lights out alarm sounded and the lights cut out, leaving them both in darkness. A small slither of orange light came in from the Muggle streetlights outside, through the tiny little window, but other than that the room was completely dark.

'Harry?'

'Yeah?'

'Why did you save me and not her?' Neville asked, his voice quiet and inquisitive.

Harry chuckled and said, 'I've been wondering how long it would take you to ask.'

'If you knew I would ask, why didn't you just tell me?' Neville asked, and Harry could hear the confusion in his voice.

'I wanted to wait for you to ask,' Harry said simply, 'but I have a question for you first. Why did you lie earlier, when Daphne and Susan asked who I saved?'

'I thought I'd save you the hassle it would bring,' Neville said honestly, 'I know things are off with you and Ginny, all of us do. I thought it would just make things worse with those two badgering you about it.'

'That's true,' Harry said as his gaze remained fixed on the roof.

'So why me Harry? You're supposed to be in love with Ginny,' Neville said.

'I think 'supposed to be' is the key phrase in that sentence,' Harry said with a sigh, 'Ginny and I aren't official, we haven't been since the war. I think what happened in there was a sign of that.'

'So what are you going to do?' Neville asked.

'I don't know,' Harry said honestly, 'talk to her at Christmas I guess, see if she feels the same.'

'You still haven't told me why you saved me and not her,' Neville pointed out.

'You're my partner Nev, and that's the first rule of Auror training, isn't it? To beyond all else protect your partner,' Harry said simply, but he knew there was more to it than that, and so did Neville.

'So that's it then? You were just following the rules?' Neville asked, sounding a little hurt.

'No…I…' Harry sighed and tried to find the right words, 'it was more than that.'

'More than the thought of saving the woman you love?' Neville's voice asked and Harry groaned.

'This is hard when I can't see you,' he said, hopping over the side of the wooden bunk and landing quietly on the ground, 'can I sit down?' he asked.

Neville nodded, 'sure,' he said, sliding to the side to let Harry sit down on the edge of his bed.

'I'm not in love with Ginny, I don't know if I ever was,' Harry said honestly, 'I don't even know how we happened, it was just a rush of passion that…well it escalated.'

'You seemed happy in 6th year,' Neville pointed out.

'We were, but that doesn't make it love. Happiness and love aren't the same thing…I was happy in 6th year because I felt normal for the first time in my life. As crazy as it seems, Ginny didn't have much to do with it,' Harry admitted.

'And now?' Neville asked with narrowed eyes, 'because no offence but it seems like even writing to her is a chore you.'

'It is, that's how it feels now,' Harry said, sighing again, 'the war changed me Neville and it didn't change her that much. We're just not compatible now, maybe once we were…but I don't know anymore. Now that I'm a free person, now he's finally gone, I feel like I'm finding myself for the first time. I didn't have time to grow up, to learn what love was, to figure out what I wanted…but now I finally am, and Ginny isn't what I want. Do you understand what I mean?'

'Don't worry, I understand more than you think,' Neville said with a faint smile.

'Maybe one of these days I'll actually have a successful relationship that won't be interrupted by a war,' Harry said with a sigh as Neville drew his feet up to let Harry lean back against the wall.

'What about that Ravenclaw girl you liked? The one who was in the DA?' Neville asked, neither of them were tired but if Sumner came up here and caught them talking after lights out they'd get punished for it. Luckily Harry was quick enough to get back in bed before he came in if that did happen.

'Cho?' Harry asked, chuckling and recounting what had happened earlier with Cora Carson.

'Yeah,' Neville said, 'that's the one.'

'Well I _did _like Cho, but I realised pretty quickly it was just a crush. The fantasy of Cho and the reality of her were entirely different things,' Harry said with a sigh, 'and when we finally did go on that date in 5th year she started talking about Cedric, burst out crying and then kissed me really awkwardly.'

'You shouldn't be so harsh on her Harry,' Neville said with a frown.

'Why?' Harry asked in confusion, 'you didn't know her, did you?'

'No,' Neville said, 'but I shared a dorm room with you for a year after Cedric died. You cried in your sleep about him too, woke me up a good few nights shouting his name.'

'That was a nightmare, I was reliving what happened,' Harry said stiffly.

Neville shrugged and said, 'Any particular reason why?'

'What…what do you mean?' Harry asked, his frown deepening.

'Well you were pretty torn up about Cedric's death and you didn't know him that well so I thought maybe you and he were…' Neville trailed off and Harry realised what he meant.

'What?' Harry asked sharply, 'no Neville,' he said as he got to his feet, 'I'm not gay!'

'You don't have to make it sound like such a bad thing you know,' Neville said darkly.

'Well I don't like it when people accuse me of something that isn't true,' Harry said, still frowning.

'_Accuse_ you?' Neville asked with distaste, 'wow, thanks Harry.'

'No,' Harry said with a groan, 'I didn't mean it like that, I just-'

'It doesn't matter,' Neville said with a deep sigh, 'night Harry.'

Harry didn't know what else he could do or say as Neville turned away from him so he climbed into his bed and tried to sleep, but nightmares plagued him. Hermione's tortured screams melded in with Cedric's death, and Harry relived watching Neville die in the simulation.

When he woke up the next morning he felt like he had been beaten and bruised. Neville looked like shit too as they dressed in their drab grey uniforms.

'Sorry Harry,' Neville muttered, 'I over-reacted last night.'

'I guess I talked in my sleep, since you seem so apologetic,' Harry said darkly, 'go on then, what was I saying?'

'You weren't saying anything, not really,' Neville said awkwardly, 'just thrashing about and calling out names.'

'Let me guess,' Harry said as he yawned, 'Cedric's, Hermione's and yours?'

Neville nodded, 'Our talk, it made the nightmares come back didn't it?'

Harry nodded and Neville sighed once more, 'I really am sorry.'

'So am I,' Harry said honestly, 'it was a stupid thing to fight about, but I'd just had such a shitty day. I don't think it's bad or anything Neville, you being gay. I don't have anything against you for it, I was just trying to say that I'm not-'

'Don't worry,' Neville said, cutting him off and opening the door, 'I get it.'

Harry nodded and said, 'let's just forget it ever happened, yeah?'

Neville nodded and smiled weakly, 'Yeah. Our first task is to try and get through today without falling asleep anyway.'

Harry chuckled and said, 'Yeah, I might try and steal Susan's coffee this morning, I don't think one cups going to do it.'

'I wonder if Daphne will give me hers, if I ask nicely enough,' Neville mused, and just like that things seemed to go back to normal between them. But they weren't normal, not really, because everything they had talked about the night before was milling around Harry's head and it was making him think hard about some thoughts he'd been avoiding for a long time.

* * *

At the end of that long, tiring Monday Harry crawled into his bunk without saying a word to Neville. The lights cut out and they were silent, which Harry was grateful for because it left him alone to sort through his jumbled thoughts. He _had _only had two relationships, his first…well could Cho even be considered a relationship? He didn't think so, they had really only had one date after all, and it had been disastrous.

And then Ginny, that was what was nagging at him. Something wasn't right about his relationship with Ginny, and it wasn't just the fact that he didn't actually love her in the way he was supposed to. There was more to it than that, as Harry looked back he realised his feelings for Cho and Ginny had both been pretty feeble, more like fleeting crushes than anything else, and his kiss with Cho hadn't been anything special, no sparks or fireworks, in fact it had been pretty disappointing. Even kissing Ginny was pretty normal, there was nothing particularly explosive about it, and on the couple of occasions they had slept together there hadn't been a rush of emotion either. It had been okay, but that was it really. Ginny was ordinary, his relationship with her was ordinary, and there had been a time when all he wanted was ordinary. But he wasn't sure that was enough anymore.

But Harry was realising something slowly, and it was only because he was eventually letting himself entertain the possibility. Perhaps he wasn't feeling anything with Ginny because of something else, other than the fact their relationship wasn't working out. Maybe Neville had been right, about Cedric, about everything, maybe he hadn't realised it himself until now. After all, he had been telling the truth when he told Neville that he was only starting to understand himself, to find himself, was this a part of it? Could Neville really have been right about him? Or was this just a panicked thought that he didn't understand flying through his head? Would it pass? Or was it here to stay?

Harry sighed heavily, forgetting that Neville was still awake.

'You okay Harry?' Neville asked, sounding mildly concerned.

'Yeah,' Harry lied weakly, 'I'm fine.'

'I can tell when you're lying, you know,' Neville said, sounding both amused and concerned, 'what's up?'

Harry frowned into the darkness as he tried to figure out what to say, 'I dunno, just thinking some things through.'

'Yeah?' Neville said.

'Yeah,' Harry said, sighing once more, 'I'd try and explain, but it's kind of complicated and I don't think either of us can handle another late night.'

'No worries,' Neville said, he yawned and said, 'Night Harry, see you in the morning.'

'Yeah, night Neville,' Harry said, feeling incredibly distracted as something hit him. These feelings, these thoughts, they had all started when he began Auror training…when he was paired with Neville. The more Harry thought about it the more he realised that Neville was at the heart of his problem, seeing him die in simulation had triggered it all, made him realise things that he hadn't before. He and Neville got on well, better than Harry had gotten on with Ron, they fought well together, their sarcastic humour went well together, they were a good team, but it was more than that. They were more than a team, more than partners…it was in the comments that seemed like they didn't mean anything, in the late night conversations about their parents…Harry was jealous about the fact Neville had a relationship with Stephen. He had thought at first it was because Neville had led the DA with someone else, but it wasn't that, it was the thought of Neville in a relationship with Stephen that angered Harry, but why? Why should that make him angry? He shouldn't care, but he did. He groaned and hit his head off of his pillow, trying to sort through these conflicting thoughts in his head. As Harry thought back to the simulation, and the surge of jealousy at finding out Neville had befriended Draco in the war, and the jolt of pain and betrayal when Neville suggested splitting up, and the searing agonising pain that shot through his chest when he saw Neville die, he came to one conclusion. He had feelings for his best friend and Auror partner.

'Fuck,' Harry groaned, the word muffled into his pillow. Harry heard Neville shift in the bed below him, he knew he was awake, pondering what was going on in Harry's head, but he didn't say anything as Harry lay on his back and stared at the dark wooden roof, wondering what the hell he was supposed to do now.

* * *

Over the next week Harry acted rather strangely, being a bit jumpier than usual and more reserved. He barely talked to anyone, and his close friends were worrying about him. When Harry had to skip lunch for his therapy session on Wednesday, as part of the treatment for his PTSD, Neville, Susan and Daphne expressed their worries at lunch.

'What's up with Potter?' Daphne asked the other two, 'he's been acting weird all week.'

'You can call him Harry you know Daphne,' Susan said with slight amusement, 'the war is over.'

'I know, but it just doesn't sound right,' Daphne said, shrugging, 'so what's up with Potter?'

'I think it's the therapy,' Neville said honestly, 'I think he's struggling with it all.'

'And Ginny's part of it too, right?' Susan guessed.

'He's not in love with her,' Neville admitted, 'but he doesn't know how to tell her that, she's his best friends little sister after all.'

Susan nodded and said, 'Well it doesn't really surprise me.'

'What doesn't?' Neville asked, only a little bit clueless.

'Maybe he just realised he was on the wrong path,' Susan said, shrugging. Neville narrowed his eyes at her, he could tell she was trying to tell him something without actually saying anything, but they didn't get a chance to talk alone because Christmas snuck up on them, the following day was Christmas Eve and as lunch ended the 4 friends exchanged gifts.

'These two are for you girls,' Harry said, handing two wrapped boxes to Susan and Daphne.

'Ah, let me guess honeydukes gift box?' Susan asked with a smirk.

'Am I that predictable?' Harry asked, chuckling.

'Well when it comes to women you never do know what to get,' Susan pointed out.

'True,' Harry admitted, handing a present to Neville, 'Merry Christmas Eve.'

Neville smiled and opened the present, it was a magical photograph in a nice frame of Neville's parents, his eyes widened when he saw it. Harry had managed to get it from Hagrid, his parents were laughing together on the grounds of Hogwarts.

'I got it from Hagrid,' Harry said with a smile, 'it took me a while to figure out how to get it into colour, but I thought you'd like it, they were in 7th year at the time.'

'Thanks Harry,' Neville said with a genuine smile as he hugged his friend, 'it's great.'

'Uh Harry,' Susan said, biting her lip a little, 'what did you get Ginny for Christmas?'

Harry frowned, 'Um, a honeydukes gift box…why?'

'You have serious problems boy,' Susan muttered under her breath.

'Yeah I know, I'm seeing a therapist remember?' Harry joked weakly, Neville just shook his head at the girls indicating they should stop. Susan and Daphne then handed out presents, they had gotten honeydukes chocolate for everyone else.

This left Neville.

'Well I'm predictable too,' Neville said, handing two boxes very similar in shape to those Harry had given the girls, to Susan and Daphne.

Both girls chuckled and Neville added in an undertone so only Susan and Harry could hear, 'although I have an excuse for being bad with women.'

Harry smiled weakly and Susan smirked, it was then that Susan's comment from the day earlier clicked for Neville, she was suggesting that Harry was gay, pushing this thought aside Neville handed out the last present, 'and this is for you Harry.'

Harry opened the present, smiling as he did so, 'Wow Neville, that's so weird,' he said as he looked down at the photograph in the frame.

'I know,' Neville said chuckling, 'we both got each other photographic gifts.'

'This is great,' Harry said, his smile widening as he looked at the magical photograph in the frame, it was of he, Ron and Hermione at the end of the war, at the big Ministry celebration ball, 'Thanks.'

'No worries,' Neville said a little awkwardly as Harry briefly hugged him.

'Well, have a good Christmas guys,' Daphne said with a smile.

'Yeah, hope you all enjoy it,' Susan added, 'see you back here for action on Boxing Day.'

'Have a good Christmas girls!' Harry called after the two women as they walked away, leaving Neville and Harry alone in the common room on the attic level.

'Well, I should get going. The Weasley's expect me soon,' Harry said, putting the photograph into his robes, 'have a good Christmas Nev.'

'You too Harry,' Neville said with a smile.

* * *

When Harry arrived at the Burrow that Christmas Eve he felt like he was coming home as he walked into the brightly lit house and felt the warmth coming from the fire. He followed the sound of excited chatter into the living room where the whole family were gathered, even Charlie was back from Romania. Bill and Fleur were here too, Fleur 5 months pregnant with a baby bump. Harry hugged Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and tried not to notice the pain on their faces, on everyone's faces. It may be Christmas, but it was also the first Christmas without Fred which put a slight damper on the celebrations.

Harry and Ginny shared a small smile as Harry sat down with Ron and Hermione for a good catch up, they spent most of the night talking and Harry barely got a chance to talk to Ginny which he felt a little guilty about but also glad for. Harry knew that Hermione could tell something was up with him, so when everyone went to bed a little after midnight and Harry said he would stay downstairs for a bit, Hermione stayed too.

'Harry, what's wrong?' Hermione asked gently, she hadn't seen Harry since the simulation so she knew nothing about it.

'Muffliato,' Harry said, using the spell on the door just in case anyone was eavesdropping.

Hermione frowned, 'Is everything okay?'

'No,' Harry replied honestly, 'in the training centre Hermione, there's a room called the simulation room. They use-'

'Illusion spells, yes,' Hermione said, nodding, 'I've heard about it, did you get to use it?'

Harry nodded, his eyes far away, 'the best team throughout December get to use it as a Christmas present. Neville and I were the best so we got a chance to use the room.'

'I'm guessing things didn't go very well,' Hermione said, chewing her lip anxiously.

'We were in a hostage situation, in the cellar of Malfoy Manor,' Harry said with a deep sigh, 'Ginny was tortured with the cruciatus curse and it made me flashback to you…to you being tortured in Malfoy Manor.'

Hermione nodded and slipped her hand into Harry's, 'Did you have to get a psych evaluation?'

'Yeah,' Harry said, 'they diagnosed me with PTSD, 2 months of therapy and then more if I'm not better.'

'Is that why you've been so distant?' Hermione asked, she sounded concerned.

'Sort of, but there's more to it than that,' Harry admitted as he looked down, 'in the simulation room I had to choose my loyalties, I could save one person, Ginny or Neville.'

'And you saved Neville,' Hermione realised.

Harry nodded, he didn't feel like he needed to say anymore.

'You're breaking up with Ginny after Christmas, aren't you?' Hermione asked, seeing right through Harry.

'I have to,' Harry said a little desperately, 'I can't live this lie anymore.'

Hermione sighed as she hugged her friend, 'Oh Harry, you should have spoken to me sooner.'

'I couldn't, this was the first leave I've gotten since it happened,' Harry said, still staring at the ground as he contemplated sharing _everything _with Hermione. Before he really made a decision he ended up blurting it out, 'Neville died in the simulation Hermione, and ever since I've been having weird feelings…about Neville…and about myself…I think…I think maybe I have…feelings…for Neville.'

'And you're just realising this now Harry?' Hermione asked with a raised eyebrow.

Harry frowned and said, 'Wh…what do you mean?'

'Well,' Hermione said with vague amusement, 'the last time you came by to see me you talked about him for two hours. Every time I said something you found a way to bring the conversation back to Neville.'

'I did?' Harry asked in disbelief.

Hermione nodded, 'I don't mind Harry, and neither does Ron.'

'Ron knows?' Harry asked, his voice getting a little high-pitched.

'Well, he suspected, like me. He's more perceptive than you give him credit for,' Hermione said with a smirk.

'And he's really okay with it?' Harry asked in disbelief.

Hermione nodded, 'We're your best friends Harry, we love you regardless. Ron said he started to wonder when you talked about Cedric in your sleep…'

'That's what Neville said too,' Harry told Hermione, frowning slightly.

'So does he know yet?' Hermione asked, and Harry shook his head, 'I sort of freaked out and didn't talk to anyone since I realised on Sunday.'

'Harry, you're never going to change, are you?' Hermione asked with fond exasperation, 'you're never actually going to tell anyone anything.'

'Hey, I'm telling you aren't I?' Harry said, a smile playing on his lips.

'Yes, but I'm an exception. You won't tell Ginny and if you do tell Neville it will probably take you about a year,' Hermione said in amusement.

'Well you said it yourself Hermione, it's not very accepted. If it got out into the public eye…well it wouldn't do my image much good…and I'm not even sure if I am... I mean, it might just be Neville,' Harry said, speaking very fast, 'and then there's the fact that nothing can happen anyway because hes my Auror partner and relationships are forbidden in training, we'd get separated at best and kicked out of training at worst. So why should I tell him how I feel when nothing can happen between us?'

'Harry, stop freaking out,' Hermione said with a slight smile, 'you've hidden bigger things than this from people,' she said, squeezing his hand to calm him down, 'and I bet there's a loophole in the rules.'

'A loophole in Auror procedure? I highly bloody doubt it Hermione,' Harry said, sighing heavily and sinking into the armchair a little more.

'Harry, stop worrying about what people are going to think, stop worrying about what the prophet are going to say, stop thinking about Auror procedure,' Hermione said firmly, 'for once in your life don't be a selfless hero and do what makes you happy.'

Harry frowned deeply, 'And if I get kicked out of Auror training?'

'You won't,' Hermione said, smirking, 'You're _Harry bloody Potter_. You could kill someone and they'd not kick you out.'

'Status means nothing there Hermione, the Senior Auror said so, we're all the lowest of the low,' Harry said, still sounding miserable.

'Harry, they might think they're tough, but they aren't the highest level. Auror command is run by one person, and that person happens to be your good friend Kingsley Shacklebolt. I suggest you just relax and enjoy Christmas, save the break-up for Boxing Day, yeah?'

'Yeah, I was planning on doing that anyway,' Harry admitted.

'My second piece of advice,' Hermione said, getting to her feet, 'is stop being such a bloody coward. For being the saviour who defeated Voldemort you really are useless when it comes to relationships, tell Neville as soon as you get the chance. The war should have taught you Harry, life can be painfully short, look at Fred, Remus, Tonks…'

'You're right Hermione,' Harry said, also getting to his feet and kissing her on the cheek, 'you're always right, and do you know, you've been swearing a lot more since you and Ron got together?'

Hermione laughed at this and said, 'Get some sleep Harry, I'll see you in the morning.'

'Yeah,' Harry agreed with a yawn, 'Goodnight Hermione.'

* * *

When Harry woke up on Christmas morning he managed to forget about his worries and enjoy himself. After all if the Weasley's could enjoy themselves even in the aftermath of Fred's death then he could forget about his relationship/sexuality woes for the day too.

'Come on Harry, wake up!' Ron said with a grin as he shook Harry awake, 'it's Christmas!'

Harry chuckled as he jumped out of bed and followed Ron down the stairs, both of them still in their pyjamas but this was family so it didn't matter. When they got downstairs everyone was already there, and they were the last up.

'Ah there you two are,' Mrs. Weasley said with a grin as Harry and Ron sat down in the homely, warm living room.

'These are for you Harry dear,' she said, placing a pile of presents in front of Harry, 'and these are you for Ron.'

'Thanks Mrs. Weasley,' Harry said gratefully as he opened his presents, as usual he had a Weasley jumper with a large 'H' on it and there was also a big box of home-made fudge. From Ron he had a box of Bertie Bott's beans and the updated version of Flying with the Cannons. From Ginny he had a box of honeydukes chocolate, they shared a slightly awkward smile when they opened their presents, a sure sign of the fact things weren't going to work out. From Hagrid, Harry had gotten a box of homemade rock cakes which he didn't intend to eat and a hand-crafted wooden Phoenix, he smiled, the Phoenix was part of the new logo for the Ministry or Magic. After the war the wizarding world had emerged from the ashes, and rebuilt their world, just like a Phoenix, Hagrid really did know Harry very well. Finally, from Hermione, he had a couple of very nice, thoughtful presents, as ever. She had gotten him some chocolate frogs, but she had also given him a book which he couldn't wait to read called _'Aurors Through the Ages: The Finest Dark Wizard Catchers the World Has Ever Seen'_. With all presents opened Harry remembered his present from Neville and made a mental note to show Ron and Hermione it later, he thought they would like it.

They spent the morning milling around, talking, all wearing their jumpers. One present sat unopened under the tree, it was a Weasley jumper, it was Fred's. Mrs. Weasley had made and wrapped it on autopilot, everyone was trying to avert their eyes from the package. As everyone split into different groups and talked somehow Harry ended up sitting next to Ginny.

'Merry Christmas Ginny,' Harry said with a smile, kissing her on the cheek.

'Merry Christmas Harry,' Ginny said, smiling back, 'I know what's going to happen, but we'll save it for tomorrow.'

Harry nodded, surprised by how relaxed she seemed despite the impending break-up, 'How's Hogwarts?'

'Quiet,' Ginny said with a chuckle, 'without you guys and all the trouble you cause it's pretty ordinary.'

'So you don't miss me, just the chaos I bring?' Harry joked.

Ginny laughed and said, 'Something like that. How's Auror training?'

'Same as always,' Harry said honestly, wondering if he should tell her about the simulation room, he decided not to, 'duelling, exercise, lectures, more duelling.'

'Sounds like a more intensive version of school,' Ginny said in amusement.

'It pretty much is,' Harry admitted with a smile, and thankfully their feeble conversation came to an end as Mrs. Weasley called everyone to the kitchen for Christmas dinner. As everyone ate and was merry, they laughed and let go, and Harry really did feel more relaxed than he had for a long time.

As they sat in the living room later that night, all drinking hot chocolate Harry sighed, knowing that tomorrow he would have to go back to reality, back to his normal life. He'd have to break up with Ginny, and go back to the training centre. His life there made him feel quite isolated, he missed seeing Ron and Hermione and this very short break wasn't enough. When he went to bed that night he found himself dreading the next morning, he found himself trying to figure out what he would say, and what excuses he would have to make up. In the end he had a very disturbed, sleepless night.

**TBC :)  
**


	7. And a Happy New Year

**An Unexpected Predicament**

**Chapter 7 – ...And a Happy New Year**

On Boxing Day Harry woke up earlier than anyone else and packed his bag, he needed to be back at the training centre for dinner, but he might have to leave earlier if his conversation with Ginny went badly. He tiptoed downstairs, expecting the kitchen to be empty or perhaps only to see Mrs. Weasley, but Harry was surprised when he saw Ginny sitting at the kitchen table absentmindedly staring into a bowl of cereal.

'Morning,' Harry said weakly as he sat down next to her.

'Oh hey Harry,' Ginny said, giving him a faint smile, 'shall we get this over with then?'

'Yeah, it's probably for the best,' Harry said, frowning, 'I'm sorry Ginny. I never meant to lead you on, or pretend that I felt something that I didn't…but this isn't working out for me at all.'

'I know,' Ginny said, 'I've been able to tell for a while.'

'Why didn't you say anything?' Harry asked quietly.

Ginny sighed, 'Because I was hoping it might change. I thought maybe once the war had been over for a little longer things would go back to normal. It's stupid and naive of me, I know.'

'No,' Harry frowned, 'it's not stupid or naive. But I don't think things are ever going to go back to normal now. I'm sorry I waited so long to say anything, I just didn't know how to say it. You're my best friends little sister, I didn't want to lose Ron and I don't want to lose you as a friend. You still mean so much to me Ginny.'

Ginny smiled and said, 'I know, Harry. And You'l never lose Ron, or me. Don't worry about that. The truth is I haven't exactly been honest with you either.'

'Go on...' Harry said slowly.

Ginny glanced down at her hands, 'I wasn't sure if we were even together. I mean we agreed that we weren't official…and I met someone when I went back to school.'

Harry nodded, he had suspected as much, 'The Head Boy?'

Ginny frowned, 'Yeah…how did you know?'

'I saw you walking with him on the map,' Harry admitted, his cheeks flushing a little, 'not that I was spying on you.'

Ginny smiled slightly and said, 'Now that is one thing I definitely won't miss. The being spied on, the suicidal heroics too actually.'

Harry laughed weakly, 'Friends?' he asked as he held out his hand to her.

Ginny rolled her eyes and ignored the hand, instead she reached over and hugged him, 'Of course, you daft fool.'

* * *

'How was your Christmas Harry?' Susan asked, jumping up from behind Harry as she hurried into the common room the recruits shared.

Harry laughed, 'Good,' he said as Susan sat down next to him on the sofa. They were the only two here, none of the other recruits used it much, they preferred to keep to themselves and stay in their rooms, 'how was yours?'

'Boring,' Susan said honestly, 'my parents died in the first war, and my Aunt in the second. I spent Christmas with my Muggle cousins.'

Harry chuckled and said, 'I sympathise after having grown up with Muggles.'

'They have good intentions,' Susan said with a slight smile, 'but I don't suppose you like this rubbish, do you?' she held up a bag of Mars Bars.

'Mars Bars!' Harry grinned, 'I _love _Mars Bars!'

'You're welcome to ithem,' Susan said in amusement as she threw him the bag which he caught eagerly.

'Hey guys!'

Harry and Susan both turned around as Daphne joined them in the common room, 'how was your Christmas?'

'Good, yeah,' Harry said, and Susan nodded, 'the Muggles weren't as bad as they could have been,' she said, 'how was yours Daph?'

'It was as good as it could be,' Daphne said, sitting down in an armchair across from them, 'it was a bit weird with Dad not being there, since hes in prison, and then there was the fact I had to watch Draco socialise with my sister in preparation for their marriage,' she said, shaking her head angrily.

'Sorry,' Harry said, and Daphne shrugged, 'hey it's not your fault I have a highly dysfunctional family,' she joked.

'Better than not having one,' Harry said, although he thought about the Weasley's and realised that they pretty much were his family.

'Yeah,' Susan agreed, Daphne immediately looked guilty but nothing more was said as the door to the common room swung open and Neville walked in.

'Hey,' he said, sighing and sitting down heavily in the armchair next to that Daphne was sitting on, 'everyone have a good Christmas?'

'I think we've established mine sucked, Daphne's sucked and Harry's was alright,' Susan relayed in amusement.

'Well, mine sucked too,' Neville said, shaking his head, 'it was just me and my Gran and she spent the whole holiday telling me I needed to find a girlfriend and get married.'

Susan laughed, and Daphne said, 'Well it seems Potters the only one who didn't have a shit Christmas.'

'I wouldn't say so,' Harry said, 'my Christmas wasn't _too _bad but I did break up with my sort-of girlfriend.'

'You and Ginny split up?' Susan asked in surprise.

'Well, it was inevitable,' Neville said, 'no offence Harry.'

'None taken,' Harry said in amusement, 'even Ginny expected it, turns out she met someone else at Hogwarts anyway.'

'I think we're going to have to go out for a drink to celebrate New Year,' Susan said in amusement, 'since we all had crappy Christmases.'

'Do we even get any time off for New Year?' Harry asked with a frown.

'We finish at the same time as usual on New Year's Eve, but we get New Year's Day off on leave,' Daphne told them, 'I don't know about you guys but I wasn't planning on leaving the training centre anyway.'

'Nah, me neither,' Susan said, and Neville nodded, 'I was planning on staying here.'

'I think I'll leave on New Year's Day, to see Ron and Hermione,' Harry said thoughtfully, 'but I'm definitely up for going out on New Year's Eve.'

'Still got 5 days of business as usual before then though,' Neville said, yawning and adding, 'I can't wait to go to bed, I might actually get some sleep since I won't be able to hear my Grandmother snoring through the wall.'

'I know the feeling,' Harry said with a chuckle, 'Ron snores so loudly and he sleeps right next to me.'

Daphne raised an eyebrow at Harry who made a face, 'in a separate bed, mind out of the gutter Greengrass! We have to share a room when all his siblings are there.'

Daphne chuckled and said, 'I would say you have better taste than a Weasley, but since you dated one that's not true.'

'Says the woman who's sleeping with a ferret,' Harry retorted as he raised his eyebrows at her.

'An albino ferret at that,' Neville remarked with a smirk.

Harry tutted and shook his head at Daphne, 'I didn't think you were into bestiality Daphne.'

Daphne shook her head in disbelief, 'Separately you two are bad, together you are _awful_.'

'She has a point,' Susan said as she chuckled, 'you just bounce off each other so well.'

'I'm going to start calling you the terrible twosome,' Daphne said, and the others all laughed. Maybe it was the break-up with Ginny, or maybe it was the conversation with Hermione, but whatever it was, something had made Harry feel normal again. He still had strange feelings about Neville, but he could force them down which meant he was no longer acting distant around everyone that he was close to.

* * *

The 5 days between Christmas and New Year were hellish, nobody really wanted to be in the training centre while everyone else was still on holiday and they were all incredibly un-motivated. Harry and Neville slipped for the first time from the leader boards and Daphne and Susan overtook them, but it was literally only for a few days and by dinner time on New Year's Eve they had worked their way back up again. They ate quickly that night then went back to their dorms to change. When they met up in the common room it was still fairly early in the evening. Harry smiled to himself as they walked to the pub around the corner, Susan and Daphne arm in arm and Harry holding onto Daphne's arm while Neville held onto Susan's. He loved Ron and Hermione, and they would always be his best friends but there was something about this that he loved too. His new friends and he had a lot in common, they saw each other every day, they were training towards the same goal for the same purposes, and they got on so well.

'Potter, you're buying the drinks right? Since you're the rich, famous celebrity' Daphne joked, smirking as they entered the lively wizarding pub.

'Sure,' Harry said with a chuckle, 'but just this once.'

'Cheers Harry,' Neville said in amusement as he and the girls found one of the few remaining tables in the busy pub, Harry went to the bar and ordered a round of firewhiskeys, taking them to the table and sitting down.

'Not long until our first Voldemort-free year,' he said happily.

'I have a good feeling about this year,' Neville said with a smile, 'I think it's really going to be a good one.'

'Me too,' Harry agreed, 'so, anyone want to share their New Years resolutions?'

'Try not to get kicked out of Auror training,' Susan said in amusement, 'that's pretty much my only one.'

'Try and make sure Draco doesn't marry my bloody sister,' Daphne muttered bitterly.

'I was thinking about that the other day Daphne,' Harry said thoughtfully, 'why is he in a marriage contract with your sister? I mean surely since you're the older sibling the most important marriage goes through you?'

'Well it should do,' Daphne said with a nod, 'but it doesn't because I was already in a contract with a Malfoy when Astoria's contract with Draco was made.'

'Huh?' Harry asked, 'how?'

'Well when I was born my parents signed a marriage contract with the Malfoys betrothing me to Cygnus Malfoy who was 2 years old I think. Then when Astoria was born just after a year later she was betrothed in a contract to Draco,' Daphne explained, 'the idea being that I marry Cygnus, but if one of us died in infancy, Astoria would marry Draco so that either way the two families would be joined. But when Cygnus died it made my contract void, and I couldn't be betrothed to Draco because he was already in a contract with my sister.'

'I didn't even know Draco had an older brother,' Harry said quietly.

'He died when Draco was very young, a baby I think,' Neville said sadly, 'Cygnus was 3 and a half, it was a tragic accident after the first war. He fell down the stairs and broke his neck in the Manor.'

'How do you know all of this Neville?' Harry asked curiously.

'Its common knowledge in Pureblood circles,' Neville replied, 'but it's the sort of thing that gets kept quiet because it's quite personal.'

'Oh, right,' Harry said, frowning slightly, 'that's horrible, I wish I'd known, I would have gone easier on Malfoy when we were growing up.'

'Then I'm glad you didn't know, our rivalry was the only fun thing about that bloody school,' a smooth voice said from behind them, making everyone but Daphne jump.

'Mind if I join you?' Draco Malfoy asked, running his hands through his blonde hair which was messier than it had once been now that it was no longer slicked back.

'Go ahead,' Susan said politely while Harry frowned in confusion, 'Daphne, did you invite him?'

'He is my boyfriend,' Daphne pointed out, adding, 'well sort of. I didn't think you'd mind.'

'You do remember we hated each other only months ago, don't you?' Harry asked the girl, raising an eyebrow at her.

'You can't have hated me that much Potter, you saved me from Azkaban,' Draco remarked.

'I…okay...how do you know about that? Those were sealed records,' Harry said, glaring at the Slytherin.

'None of the records at the Ministry are sealed if you know the right people,' Draco said cryptically.

'So basically you blackmailed it out of someone,' Harry said, 'yep, that sounds more like the kind of thing you'd do.'

'Are you two finished expelling all of this sexual chemistry, rivalry crap yet?' Neville asked in amusement.

Draco smirked as he sat down between Neville and Daphne, 'Please, I have far better taste Neville.'

Neville shook his head in amusement, 'It's good to see you again by the way.'

'And you,' Draco smiled, 'have you lost weight?'

'Yeah, Auror training is great,' Neville said with a grin.

Harry watched this exchange in surprise, his mouth hanging open slightly, 'Bloody hell, how much did I miss when I didn't go back to school for my 7th year?' he asked in disbelief.

'Quite a lot,' Neville said in amusement.

Draco added, 'It serves you right, for not finishing your education.'

Harry shook his head in disbelief, 'Sorry that I hadn't go and defeat the darkest wizard of all time Malfoy.'

Draco scoffed, and Harry tried not to snigger, as he said, 'So what I'm in fact discovering is that while I was gone Neville led the DA with someone who wasn't me, which I'm still not happy about by the way, befriended my arch enemy and turned into a complete bad ass.'

'Connect the dots,' Draco said, leaning back in his chair, 'I was clearly the influence that turned him bad ass.'

'Yeah right,' Neville said in amusement, 'you spent all year running away from the Carrows and hiding in broom closets.'

'Considering I often ended up in those broom closets with him, I wouldn't call it hiding,' Daphne said with a wide grin.

'I think I've heard enough,' Harry said, shaking his head in disbelief.

Draco extended his hand to Harry and said, 'Anyway Potter, since you saved my life in the war, I think we should call a truce.'

'Sounds fair,' Harry agreed, reaching out and shaking the blonde's hand.

'Aw Harry,' Susan said with mock pride, 'look at you, all grown up! You're finally seeing past all your childhood grudges.'

Harry chuckled in amusement and asked if anyone wanted another drink. Everybody said yes, and the night continued in a similar fashion with drinks flowing and laughs being exchanged as Harry realised that Draco Malfoy actually wasn't too bad a guy, he was very similar to himself actually. Although Harry had realised that before, he had just tried to deny the fact because he had hated Draco so much. With the company so good, and everyone having such a good time the hours flew by and before anyone knew it they were counting down the seconds until the start of the New Year.

Draco's cheeks were a little flushed, but he seemed to be the most sober as he held up a very tipsy Daphne, Susan was completely gone and had been dancing with Neville when the countdown began. Neville, like Draco was pretty sober, although he was very happy and smiley, a sign that he was a tipsy. Harry didn't think he was that drunk, his thoughts were jumbled and his head felt foggy, but he also felt elated and excited and great.

'10 – 9 – 8 – 7!' everyone shouted as they counted down the seconds.

Susan and Neville had stopped dancing and made their way over to Draco, Daphne and Harry at the table.

'6 – 5 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1!'

As the countdown finished there was a lot of sparks flying from wands and cheering.

'HAPPY NEW YEAR!'

Harry grinned, watching Daphne and Draco kiss next to him, and seeing Susan jump up and down happily, he felt like his life was starting all over again. This was his fresh start, his life without Voldemort.

'Happy New Year mate,' Neville sat, patting Harry on the back and putting his arm over his shoulder.

'Happy Yew Near Nev!' Harry slurred, making Neville chuckle, 'you're drunk Harry.'

'What? Am I? I never been drunk before Nev!' Harry slurred once more.

Neville shook his head and shouted to the others, 'Harry's completely pissed, I'm taking him back to the training centre before he throws up on anyone!'

Susan laughed hysterically at this and Daphne said cheerfully, 'See you guys tomorrow! Happy New Year!'

'Happy New Year,' Neville said in amusement, pulling Harry out of the pub and not listening to any of the drunken slurred rambling he was doing.

Neville was practically dragging Harry from the pub to the training centre, he was heavier than usual and kept veering off at odd angles, Neville was both exasperated and amused, but he understood it. Harry had never really had time to drink before, he had never gone to any parties because of everything that went on with Voldemort when he was going through Hogwarts.

When Neville walked through the gate, now supporting Harry on his shoulders the security wizard on duty said, 'Not such a noble hero now is he?'

Neville laughed and said, 'First time drinking properly, I think he went a bit heavy on it.'

The wizard laughed and said, 'Do me a favour and wind him up about it tomorrow.'

'Definitely,' Neville said, saying goodnight to the wizard and helping a stumbling Harry up the path, and through reception. It was one of the only times he had seen the sour faced hag working at the desk smile. By the time Neville had tackled the stairs with Harry's weight as well as his own he was exhausted and threw Harry down on his bed instead of his own, because he knew he would never be able to lift Harry up to the top bunk.

Shaking his head and wondering whether he should take a photograph for blackmail purposes Neville forced Harry to drink some water, and it did seem to sober him up a little bit. Enough to hold a more intelligent conversation anyway.

'Thanks for spending New Year's Eve with us and not Ron and Hermione,' Neville said as he sat down next to Harry on the bottom bunk, 'I always feel second best when they're involved.'

'Nah I like you Neville,' Harry said with a large grin on his face, 'you're fun to be around. Anyway, Hermione would have told me to stop drinking,' Harry rolled his eyes, 'she always ruins my fun, you know?'

'Well I'm sure she's just looking out for you Harry,' Neville said.

'I don't need anyone to look after me,' Harry said, slurring a little again, 'I'm the chosen one, remember?'

'Sure,' Neville said with a grin, 'I'm sure Mr. Chosen One could have gotten back here on his own, all the way up 5 flights of stairs.'

'Course I would!' Harry exclaimed, moving closer to Neville, 'I killed Voldemort, remember?'

'You think defeating Voldemort means you can defeat stairs while drunk?' Neville asked, trying to withhold his laughter at his drunken friend.

'Duh!' Harry said, rolling his eyes, 'Neville, I thought you were supposed to be smart now not stupid, like Ron.'

'What a lovely thing to say about your best friend,' Neville said as he chuckled.

'Nah,' Harry slurred as he put his arm around Neville, '_you're _my best friend Neville. You know more about me, and our parents are both dead-ish.'

'Wow Harry, tactful,' Neville said with slight amusement, 'but thanks anyway, even if you are only saying it because you're drunk.'

'No, no, I'm not,' Harry assured Neville, 'because we're kind…kinre…kindred spirits!'

'That's nice,' Neville said, still amused, 'you're pretty much my best friend too Harry.'

Harry grinned at this and said, 'Good! You know Neville… has anyone ever told you that you have nice cheekbones?'

'Uh…no,' Neville said, both amused and disturbed by that comment.

'Well, you do,' Harry said, and then in the next few seconds everything happened so fast that Harry lost track of it and Neville struggled to keep up with it too even though he wasn't that drunk. Harry had leaned forward and captured Neville's lips in what was a slightly wet, awkward, and very characteristically drunken kiss. Neville contemplated returning it but in the end pushed Harry away, not wanting to take advantage of his drunken state.

'Go to sleep Harry,' Neville said, standing up and backing away from the bed, 'you're drunk, I'm not kissing you when you're like that.'

'Okay Neville,' Harry said softly as his eyes shut, in seconds he was snoring. Neville sighed, leaving the room and walking into the common room where he sank into an armchair and tried to make sense of what the hell had just happened. Neville had pretty much always had a crush on Harry since he figured out he was gay in 4th year, but he had been sure that Harry was straight. What the hell had that kiss been about? It must have just been a drunken thing, it couldn't have meant anything, because Harry was straight, wasn't he?

'Hey Nev, did you get him back alright?'

Neville jumped, he hadn't even heard Susan come into the room, but he was glad for the company, 'Yeah,' he said, 'he's asleep on my bed, there was no way I was lifting him onto the top bunk.'

Susan chuckled, 'let me guess, he doesn't drink very often and went overboard tonight?'

'Exactly,' Neville said, sighing and deciding to confide in Susan who already knew he was gay anyway from the friendship they had forged in the DA and then in the war.

'I got him back and then he…well…he kissed me,' Neville said, still frowning.

'He did?' Susan asked in surprise, 'is he gay?'

'I don't think so,' Neville said honestly, 'he's about as straight as a bloody arrow Harry Potter…I don't know what the hell it was, probably just drunken madness.'

'Maybe,' Susan agreed, 'but you never know, it could be more.'

'I highly doubt it Susan,' Neville said, 'and I don't want to get my hopes up anyway.'

'I understand that,' Susan admitted as she got to her feet, 'try and get some sleep Nev, I'll see you tomorrow?'

'Yeah, see you tomorrow,' Neville agreed, getting to his feet and re-entering his dorm. He glanced at Harry and sighed again, quietly getting into the top bunk and sleeping there for the night.

* * *

When Harry woke up on New Year's Day his head was pounding and his memory of the events of the night before were somewhat foggy. He didn't open his eyes as he tried to remember what had happened the night before, he remembered the pub, and the fact he'd made a truce with Draco Malfoy. He even remembered dancing with Susan and making jokes with Draco at their table. His mind got foggier as the night went on, but he remembered the countdown to midnight and he remembered everyone wishing each other a happy new year. After that it got patchy, he didn't remember getting back to the dorm, but then something else clicked in his head…bloody hell, he'd _kissed _Neville last night.

_Fucking hell_, Harry thought to himself, _I __**kissed **__Neville. Why did I do that? Oh…I know why I kissed him, I have feelings for him…feelings I thought I was doing pretty well at hiding. What the bloody hell am I supposed to do now? Hope he doesn't remember? Yes, that's a good idea, I'll just hope he doesn't remember._

'Harry, are you awake?' Neville's voice asked and as Harry opened his eyes he realised that he was in Neville's bed and Neville must have been in his bed since his voice was coming from above Harry.

'Yeah,' Harry said, his voice a little croaky.

'Are you feeling alright?' Neville asked, a tinge of amusement making its way into his voice.

'No,' Harry admitted, feeling like he was about to throw up at any minute.

'Yeah well you did drink quite a bit last night,' Neville reminded him, 'how much do you remember?'

This was his chance, if Harry lied about remembering the kiss things wouldn't be awkward, they'd go back to normal between them, 'Uh, I remember leaving the pub, after that I'm blank. Did I pass out?'

'No,' Neville replied, 'I dragged you back here and put you in my bed, there was no way I was attempting to lift you into your own.'

Harry laughed weakly and said, 'Thanks Neville, it's not very often I get that drunk.'

'At least you had a good time,' Neville said as he climbed down from the bed and said, 'do you need a sober up potion?'

'Merlin yes,' Harry sighed, his head still hurt, he felt sick and he also felt incredibly sore everywhere.

'Susan has a stash, I'll go 'borrow' one,' Neville said with a smile as he left the room. Harry sighed and tried to make himself forget the kiss, he took the sober up potion and got up feeling much better. He dressed and had breakfast then rather awkwardly tried to act normal around Neville for the rest of the morning until it was time for him to go round to Ron and Hermione's for New Year's lunch. By then he'd come to the conclusion that Neville didn't remember the kiss because he hadn't mentioned it and he was acting completely normal, it took a little bit of the weight off, but he still wanted to talk about what had happened with Ron and Hermione.

When he arrived on the doorstep Ron answered and let him in, he chuckled when he saw his best friend, 'Bloody hell Harry you look rough, were you out last night?'

'Yeah,' Harry admitted sheepishly, 'with the folks from Auror training, Merlin Ron I've never been that drunk in my life.'

Hermione shook her head in amusement, overhearing this as Ron and Harry walked through the living room into the compact dining room.

'So that's why you didn't come round for a drink last night,' she said with a chuckle.

'Yeah, went out for drinks with Neville, Susan and Daphne at this pub near the training centre,' Harry said, sitting down in one of the comfortable chairs at the table, 'you'll never guess who else turned up.'

'Who?' Ron asked with interest.

'Draco Malfoy,' Harry said, shaking his head in surprise, 'and surprisingly he wasn't actually an arsehole. He bought us quite a few rounds of drinks.'

'How did you even end up talking to him?' Hermione asked curiously as she set food down on the table.

'He was there with Daphne, they're together, sort of,' Harry said offhandedly, 'anyway, something bad happened last night.'

Ron and Hermione both stopped what they were doing, 'What do you mean?'

'I got really drunk and Neville had to get me back to our dorm at the training centre. When we got there for some reason I kissed Neville,' Harry admitted sheepishly.

'And why is that bad?' Ron asked slightly awkwardly, 'Hermione said you liked Neville.'

Harry tried not to smile at how uncomfortable Ron looked, 'It's complicated, I do…but he's my partner, it's against Auror code of conduct.'

'Harry, I thought we discussed this,' Hermione said in exasperation.

'I know Hermione, but I can't…he doesn't even know I'm…well I don't even know if I'm even…' Harry trailed off and Hermione sighed, 'you can't even say it, can you?'

Harry merely shrugged.

'Look, Hermione and me had an idea,' Ron said, 'we thought this might happen so Hermione knows someone from work that she wants to set you up with. That way you can go on a date with her and figure out if it's just Ginny you had a problem with, or you know, women in general.'

Harry frowned as he contemplated this idea, it made sense, he was still confused about what his feelings for Neville meant in the long-term after all and the solution his two best friends had thought up could actually work, 'Yeah, that's a good idea. Who is this person you want to set me up with anyway?'

'She's called Lisa Turpin, she was a Ravenclaw in our year,' Hermione said, putting plates down and sitting at the table with Ron and Harry, 'do you remember her?'

'No, not really,' Harry admitted, 'but I'll give it a try.'

'Good,' Hermione said happily, 'I'll owl her and let her know you're interested. Anyway, tuck in, I worked all morning on this!'

**TBC :)  
**


	8. The Dating Game

**An Unexpected Predicament**

**Chapter 8 – The Dating Game**

'Hey Harry!'

Harry turned around just as he was about to leave the attic floor of the training centre and saw Susan, Daphne and Neville, 'we're going round to the Thestral. You coming?'

'Nah, I can't,' Harry said apologetically, 'I have a date.'

'Ah, so that's why you're dressed so sharply,' Susan said in amusement.

'Who's the lucky girl?' Daphne asked with a smirk.

'Lisa Turpin, she was a Ravenclaw in our year,' Harry said and Daphne nodded, 'not bad Potter, she's a pretty good catch.'

'Thanks, I guess,' Harry said a little awkwardly, looking at Neville for the first time.

He smiled weakly at Harry and said, 'Have fun Harry.'

'Yeah, you too. See you guys later,' Harry said, giving them a wave and leaving the building. When he was out he apparated to the restaurant where he was meeting Lisa, he felt a little nervous as he waited outside but recognised her from the classes they had shared when she approached him. Lisa Turpin was actually quite beautiful, with blonde curly hair and a pale complexion, she also had a lovely smile.

'Hi Harry,' she said confidently when she met him, hugging him and kissing him on the cheek.

'Hey,' Harry said, taking her arm and leading her into the restaurant. They sat down and ordered and it all felt natural until the small talk began…

By the time they were finishing desert Lisa was getting a bit fed up.

'So yeah, now Neville and I are back at the top of the rankings, beating all of the highest records,' Harry was saying happily.

Lisa rolled her eyes and said, 'Can you talk about anything apart from Neville Longbottom?'

Harry frowned, 'Oh, right sorry.'

'I'll forgive you if you take me back to your place for drinks,' Lisa said suggestively, and Harry didn't even realise what she meant. He was completely clueless when it came to women so fooishly he said, 'yeah, sure.'

He paid the bill and left the restaurant with Lisa, apparating back to his London flat which didn't get much use these days since he mostly stayed at the training centre. Harry had bought it in the summer because he knew he couldn't handle staying at Grimmauld Place for much longer. He didn't hate the place, not like Sirius had, but he couldn't live there forever either.

There wasn't any food in the flat, because Harry didn't live there at the moment, but he did have some firewhiskey in one of the cupboards which he brought out. After drinking one glass through which Harry had attempted in vain to make some more small talk, Lisa started to move closer to Harry. Although he was incredibly awkward about it she ended up kissing him. He kissed her back, and tried to pretend that it felt natural but it really didn't. It was too harsh and passionless, there was no feeling behind it. When Lisa's hand moved lower down Harry jumped away, frowning.

'What's wrong Potter?' Lisa asked as she raised an eyebrow at him.

'Uh,' Harry began awkwardly, 'I… I have somewhere to go…I need to get back…to the Auror training centre.'

It wasn't a complete lie, he _did _need to get back before 6pm but that was 2 hours away yet. Lisa didn't need to know that though.

'Oh my god Potter,' Lisa said angrily as she got to her feet, 'you can't give me a decent date or at least screw me! Some bloody golden hero you are,' she grabbed her coat and stormed from the room, leaving Harry to groan in her wake. There was only one way to describe how _that_ date had gone. Disastrous.

* * *

'Hey Harry, you're back earlier than I thought,' Neville said when he walked into the common room to see Harry reading the book Hermione had gotten him for Christmas.

'Yeah,' Harry said with a sigh, 'my date didn't go to plan.'

Neville chuckled as he sat down across from his friend, 'Why? What happened?'

Harry frowned as he fumbled for an answer in his head, he knew deep down why it hadn't gone well but it wasn't really something that he wanted to share with Neville, 'We just didn't click, I guess.'

'Oh, well I'm sorry about that,' Neville said.

Harry just shrugged, 'I wouldn't worry too much, I'm sure Hermione will find someone else to set me up with.'

Neville laughed at that, 'Ah, so she set you up? Blind dates never do go to plan.'

'Exactly,' Harry said, 'but I can't complain, I agreed after all. I must be desperate.'

'Or maybe just lonely,' Neville said, smiling a little, 'anyway, I came to find you to pass on that Matron Carson thinks you'll be fine after your 2 months therapy. She's been watching you in field class apparently and purposefully putting things in that will remind you of the war, none of them have had any negative effects on you so it's looking good.'

'Good,' Harry said, he smiled, 'I don't like therapy much.'

'I don't blame you,' Neville remarked, 'I had to go through it after my parents got tortured, I was a kid, and it sucked.'

'Yeah,' Harry said, sighing heavily, 'do you want to go out for a drink tomorrow Nev?'

'I can't,' Neville said in the same apologetic tone Harry had used early, 'I've got a date.'

'Oh,' Harry said, swallowing the roaring jealous feeling in his chest at the idea of Neville on a date, 'yeah, with who?'

'Stephen,' Neville admitted a bit sheepishly, 'we've been writing to each other, we're going to give things another go.'

'Oh, right,' Harry said, feeling quite rotten all of a sudden, 'good, well good luck with that.'

Neville nodded, confused at Harry's strange behaviour.

Harry cleared his throat, 'Well, I'm going to bed. My day has been rotten and I had dinner with Lisa anyway, I'll see you later.'

'Yeah, see you later Harry,' Neville said, still confused as Harry left the common room.

* * *

Over the following week Harry established that Neville and Stephens date had gone well, and that they were back together, and he couldn't deny that what he was feeling was most definitely jealousy, but he hid it as best as he could. He got on with things, kept his spot in the rankings with Neville, improved his time on the obstacle course, used his frustration to lose a couple of seconds from his track time. Took it out on the dummies in the fitness room, pretended that whoever he was duelling was Stephen…it was all very unhealthy, but it helped.

When Saturday rolled around Harry wanted to go out for a drink with Neville, but he had another date with Stephen so instead Harry miserably made his way to Ron and Hermione's flat. As usual, Ron was at work because it was a Saturday so he sat down and confessed his woes to Hermione over tea and cake.

'So Neville and Stephen are back together,' Harry said bitterly, 'you know the Ravenclaw he had a thing with in the war? It was when we were away trying to find horcruxes.'

'You should have told him when you had the chance Harry,' Hermione said gently.

'Yeah, okay, I know that now,' Harry said, sighing in frustration, 'and my date with Lisa was atrocious, I just wasn't attracted to her at all. She made a move on me at my flat and I just completely freaked out…'

'So you could really do with admitting it to yourself,' Hermione said, 'because you can't move on and start seeing people until you do.'

'How am I even supposed to know if I am?' Harry asked in exasperation.

'It's not difficult Harry, look at me, do you want to screw me?' Hermione asked bluntly.

'What?' Harry said, completely horrified, 'No! Hermione, your my best friend, you're like my sister!'

'So what about Susan or Daphne? Do you want to screw them? Are you sexually attracted to them in any way?' Hermione asked, still sounding exasperated.

'No,' Harry admitted.

'Well then you're probably gay,' Hermione said, 'because I'm female and even I can admit that they're both attractive.'

Harry groaned and said, 'Well, I have been feeling uncomfortable in the changing rooms at swimming, I mean I never used to be bothered but now I feel like I don't know where to look.'

'Will you please just admit it?' Hermione asked in disbelief.

'Fine,' Harry snapped, 'I'm probably bloody gay! Happy now?'

'Yes,' Hermione said brightly, 'does this mean I can set you up with a guy from work?'

Harry rolled his eyes, 'The last date you set me up on didn't go very well, remember?'

'I know,' Hermione said, 'but that was because it was with a woman, and we have now established that you prefer men. Please?'

'Fine,' Harry agreed, smiling slightly at how eager Hermione was, 'who is this guy? Anyone I know?'

'Nah, just a guy from work,' Hermione said.

'It might be awkward, I've never been on a date with a guy before,' Harry admitted, feeling nervous at the thought.

'Just act like it's a date with a girl,' Hermione said with a shrug, 'I'll talk to my friend at work on Monday.'

'Just make sure it's somewhere quiet, preferably in the Muggle world,' Harry said with a frown, 'I'd prefer to keep this out of the press.'

'Of course,' Hermione said as she beamed at him.

* * *

As the week went by Harry didn't tell anyone about his sudden realisation that he was more likely than not, gay. He acted as normal as ever and got on with things, but the closer it got to Saturday and his date with this mysterious guy, the more nervous he got. It _was _his first date with a guy and regardless of what Hermione said it was going to be different from a date with a girl. He hadn't actually spoken to the guy directly yet, but Hermione had given him a place and time to meet him. It was a Muggle restaurant on the outskirts of London, which sounded discreet and perfect. He dressed smartly in Muggle attire as Hermione had instructed and he was nervously looking at himself in the mirror when Neville walked into their dorm.

'Another hot date?' Neville asked in amusement as he grabbed his coat.

'Uh, yeah,' Harry said, 'you going out with Stephen?'

'Yep,' Neville said, changing his shoes and putting his coat on, 'who's the date with this time?'

'Somebody Hermione knows from work,' Harry said, taking a deep breath, he wasn't going to tell anyone this date was with a guy.

'Ah, Hermione setting you up again,' Neville realised in amusement, 'have you even met this girl?'

'Nope,' Harry said, he smoothed down his emerald green shirt, and asked Neville, 'do I look alright?'

He was just wearing dark jeans, a shirt, suit jacket and smart shoes, but he was so bloody nervous.

'You look fine,' Neville said, vaguely amused, 'if you have no idea who the date is with why are you so nervous?'

'The last one didn't exactly go to plan,' Harry muttered nervously, 'I'll walk you out?'

'Sure,' Neville said, and they left the dorm together.

'So are things serious with Stephen?' Harry asked curiously.

'Not really,' Neville said honestly, 'it's hard to have a serious relationship in Auror training, I only see Stephen once a week.'

'I guess,' Harry said, 'I suppose that was part of the reason my relationship with Ginny broke down.'

'Why are you so eager to date anyway?' Neville asked curiously.

Harry frowned slightly as they descended the many flights of stairs, 'I don't know,' he said honestly, 'I guess you're right, about me being lonely.'

'Just don't fall into the trap of dating someone you don't really have feelings for just because your lonely, or because you miss someone else,' Neville said, 'trust me, it's not worth it.'

'How would you know?' Harry asked noisily.

Neville shrugged as they reached the reception and signed out, 'Been there, done that. It's not worth the pain.'

Harry nodded, slightly confused, 'Well thanks Neville.'

Neville shrugged and said, 'I just don't like seeing my friends getting hurt.'

'You sound like Hermione,' Harry said, vaguely amused by this as they passed the security wizard and waved at him, by this point they knew all 8 security wizards by name and they were all nice chatty guys.

'Good luck on your date,' Neville said with a smirk as he walked in the direction of the pub around the corner. Checking he was reasonable once more Harry spun on his heel and appeared in an alley outside the Muggle restaurant, it was quite nice, but in a secluded location, it was a boat, a floating boat restaurant. Feeling very nervous he walked up to the reception and said, 'Hi, the names Potter, I'm meeting someone here.'

The woman glanced down at her list and smiled, 'Yes, a table for two, your host is waiting you Mr. Potter,' she stood up and showed Harry to a table for two by the window looking out over the docks. The moment he saw the person sitting in the chair he recognised him, and cursed Hermione for not telling him this.

'Harry, hey!'

'Hi Justin,' Harry said with a smile, he shook Justin's hand and sat down across from him, 'this place is nice.'

'I find it's nice to come back to the Muggle world sometimes, get away from the chaos, you know?' Justin said, and Harry smiled because he _did _understand that, 'Merlin, yes.'

Justin Finch-Fletchley hadn't changed much since Harry had seen him after the final battle, he was tall and slim, a similar build to Harry but taller. He had mousy brown hair, but it wasn't messy, it sat perfectly all of the time. He had dark brown eyes that always seemed to look kind. Harry had never really had a long enough conversation with him to classify him as a friend, especially after what had happened in their second year. Harry realised that he did actually find Justin attractive, and he was instantly attracted to him, which was much more than he had gotten from his date with Lisa. He suppressed a sigh, well, this was definitely confirming his questions about his sexuality.

'I asked Hermione not to tell you she was setting you up with me,' Justin said with a wry smile, 'I thought you wouldn't come because of what happened in second year.'

'I was surprised when I saw you actually,' Harry said, 'because of that.'

Justin shrugged, 'It was a long time ago, and a lot has happened since. Especially with the war and all. I know I already apologised when it first happened, but I am sorry. I was heavily influenced by Ernie back then, I was still learning the way of the wizarding world and his prejudices rubbed off on me.'

'Don't worry about it,' Harry said with a smile, 'I was in a similar situation, I never even knew I could do what I did until it happened that day.'

'Well we're both men now,' Justin said, 'we were just scared kids then.'

'Yeah,' Harry agreed, 'and given all that happened that year I think we had a right to be scared.'

'Indeed,' Justin said grimly, 'but moving onto the present, I was surprised when Hermione suggested this date. I thought you and Ginny Weasley were together.'

'Yes, we were,' Harry said honestly, 'but after the war I actually had a chance to find myself, before then I was so focused on killing Voldemort that I had no time to think about what I wanted. I realised then that I was on the…wrong path.'

Justin smiled slightly, and Harry was impressed that the Hufflepuff hadn't flinched when he said Voldemort's name, 'I understand that, for me it was in my last year, when I was hiding out in the room of requirement.'

'I have a friend who was in a similar situation,' Harry said, thinking of Neville.

'Neville?' Justin guessed.

Harry nodded, 'You know about him?'

'Yeah,' Justin said, 'we became friends during 7th year. Are he and Stephen still together?'

'Yeah, they are. They broke up but they've just recently gotten back together,' Harry said, surprised at how easily conversation was flowing between he and Justin. A waitress appeared, pausing their conversation for the moment. They ordered drinks and the first course of what would be a two course meal, and then they resumed their conversation comfortably.

'So you must work in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures with Hermione?' Harry asked as their drinks arrived, he was being classy for once and drinking wine.

'Yeah,' Justin said with a smile, 'it's great, just last week I got sent on an elite job.'

'You're that good already?' Harry asked in surprise.

'No,' Justin said, a smile playing on his lips, 'the Ministry were working out a treaty with a group of Veela in Southern France. They sent me knowing the charm wouldn't work.'

Harry couldn't help but laugh at that, he was surprised when he realised that he was actually enjoying himself, 'That's brilliant,' he said.

Justin was still smiling as he said, 'Hermione mentioned that you work as an Auror?'

'Not quite,' Harry admitted, 'I'm in Auror training. I still have two and a half years until I'm actually an Auror.'

'Blimey, that's a long training period. Do you get paid in that time?' Justin asked in surprise.

Harry shook his head, 'No, they give us accommodation on site, and we get all of our meals as part of the perks of training. Luckily I don't rent my London flat, I've already bought it and since it's in the Wizarding quarter I don't need to pay a mortgage on it either.'

Justin smiled and said, 'I've cashed in on the same trick. I've got a flat in the wizarding sector of Chelsea, where are you?'

'Chelsea too,' Harry said in surprise, 'weird coincidence. No offence, but I wouldn't have thought you would have been able to afford living there. Shit, that sound bad, I just mean because you're a Muggle-born.'

'I was going to go to Eton if I hadn't gotten into Hogwarts,' Justin reminded Harry with a raised eyebrow, 'my parents are pretty well off.'

'Is your Dad an Earl or something?' Harry asked jokingly.

'No,' Justin said, smirking a little, 'but he is a Lord.'

Harry laughed and said, 'Well you're full of surprises Justin.'

'That's Hufflepuffs for you,' Justin joked as their food arrived, 'everyone underestimates us.'

'Does that ever bother you?' Harry asked curiously.

'No,' Justin said honestly, 'it means we can always catch people off guard.'

'How very Slytherin of you,' Harry said with a grin as they ate their soup, talking occasionally in between mouthfuls.

'I had to admit, I was surprised when I found out you were an Auror, or at least training to be one,' Justin said, 'it's not the sort of job people expect people like us to have.'

'It's what I've always wanted to do,' Harry said with a smile, 'I knew I wanted to be an Auror before I figured out…this. But you're right, it is surprising, especially considering I work with Neville who's in the same predicament.'

'Hmm, true,' Justin said thoughtfully, 'do you have partners yet? Or does that come later?'

'No, we're sorted in partners,' Harry said with a smile, 'ironically enough Neville and I are partners.'

'Oh,' Justin said frowning slightly, 'and is that going to be a problem if anything were to progress between us?'

'No,' Harry answered in what he thought was an honest way, he had barely thought about Neville since he had met up with Justin, he was enjoying himself so much, 'we're partners in the sense of work and nothing more. We're just good friends.'

'Ah, good,' Justin said, smiling slightly, 'because I am rather enjoying myself.'

'As am I,' Harry said happily as the plates from their first course were taken away and they ordered for the second.

'If it's not too rude of me to ask,' Justin said as they waited for the main course, 'when you didn't come back to school in 7th year, what were you doing?'

'Running away mostly,' Harry said, causing Justin to chuckle, 'but I was working on destroying Voldemort. How did you get to return to Hogwarts? I thought they stopped Muggle-borns from going to school?'

'They did,' Justin said, 'but I got in through the room of requirement. I wanted to help with the war effort.'

'I seem to remember you having a fantastic shield charm,' Harry said as he thought back to the DA, 'and your patronus was a badger, I believe?'

'Both accurate,' Justin said with a smile, 'you have a good memory.'

'I pay attention,' Harry said simply, 'so did you help Neville lead the DA when you came back?'

'I didn't quite lead, that was more Neville, Ginny and Luna. Stephen was sort of Neville's second in command too,' Justin said, 'but I tried my best to help. Neville and I got into trouble with the Carrows a few times trying to stop them hurting the younger students.'

'You're a bit of a hero yourself,' Harry remarked.

'Oh no,' Justin said, shaking his head, 'nothing like you anyway. I assume that's why you wanted a discreet location? To keep this from the press?'

Harry nodded, 'They don't know yet. In fact only Ron and Hermione do, and I'd like to keep it that way for as long as possible. It's my life, I don't think the press and the rest of the world have a right to know about it.'

'I understand that,' Justin said, smiling as their mains arrived. They didn't talk as they ate, the food here was lovely, it was very posh and that made sense to Harry now he knew Justin lived in Chelsea, just like he did.

'Thanks for this Justin,' Harry said honestly in a break while eating, 'it's been a while since I've enjoyed a date…in fact I don't think I ever have.'

'Have you ever had one with a guy before?' Justin asked curiously.

'No,' Harry answered honestly.

'That's probably why you've never enjoyed one,' Justin said in amusement.

Harry smiled and said, 'Yes, I did wonder about that. Have you had dates before, with men?'

Justin smiled slightly and said, 'A couple, but they were disastrous.'

'That describes my dates with women,' Harry said, chuckling.

'Neville and I went on a date,' Justin said chuckling as he told the story, 'not long after the war.'

Harry smirked, 'I'm guessing from the laughter it didn't go well?'

'That would be an understatement,' Justin said in amusement, 'he spilt coffee down himself and down me, he was sweet but very awkward.'

'That surprises me,' Harry said honestly, 'I thought he was past that awkward stage.'

'I think he surely must be now,' Justin said, still chuckling at the memory, 'either way this date has been far superior to any I've had before.'

'I know the feeling,' Harry said, feeling a little bit sad as they both finished their dinner. Harry couldn't believe how fast time was going.

'Well,' Justin said, raising his glass and pressing it against Harry's, 'cheers to a surprisingly good date.'

'Yes,' Harry said, sipping his wine.

'You know, I was surprised when Hermione told me about you, but I suppose I should have suspected it,' Justin said with a glint in his eye, 'you always could talk to snakes after all.'

Harry's cheeks flushed with colour at this and he said, 'yes, well, I can't anymore. A skill I'm quite happy I lost.'

'You're almost as awkward as Neville when suggestive comments come into play,' Justin said, chuckling at this.

'We are quite alike,' Harry said, and Justin nodded, 'I can see some similarities,' he said.

'I hate to say it, but I think we'll have to call it a day,' Harry said sadly, 'unfortunately Auror training is strict, if I'm not back by 6pm I get the punishment of sleeping in the same room as the Nifflers we use for training missions.'

Justin chuckled at this and said, 'Then I agree, you should hurry back,' he got to his feet, 'although if you wanted to subdue the Nifflers you would only need to feed them bacon,' he said.

Harry laughed and said, 'Ah, this could be handy. When it comes to writing my essay about the pros and cons of tracking Nifflers I'll come to you.'

They were both on their feet now, and on the way out Justin paid the bill. Harry tried to pay it, but Justin insisted.

'This was my treat Harry,' he said when they stopped outside the building, 'if it bothers you so much you can pay next time.'

Harry smiled and said, 'so there will be a next time?'

'If you want there to be one,' Justin said.

'I would like that,' Harry said happily, 'I'll owl you?'

Justin nodded and took Harry's hand, 'I enjoyed today, thank you.'

Harry shook his hand, 'So did I,' he said with a smile, 'see you Justin.'

They then both snuck around into a secluded part of the docks and apparated to their separate homes.

* * *

'Potters in a good mood,' Daphne noted as Harry walked into the dining hall and looked around for his friends.

'He had a date,' Neville said, he was already back from meeting up with Stephen.

'Another one?' Susan asked in amusement.

Neville nodded, 'He seemed quite nervous about it, but it looks like it went well.'

'Evening friends,' Harry said as he sat down at the table.

'Somebody's in a good mood,' Daphne teased.

'So the date went well?' Neville asked, a tiny bit of hurt slipping into his voice.

Harry didn't seem to notice, 'Very well,' he said honestly, 'we just clicked straight away, we have so much in common.'

He was being careful to pretend the date had been with a girl, Justin would understand, he knew Harry wanted to keep this quiet.

'Yeah? That's good,' Susan said with a smile, 'who was it with? Anyone we know?'

'No,' Harry lied, something he was thankfully getting better at, 'just someone Hermione knows But we have a lot in common.'

'Like what?' Neville asked curiously.

'Stupid things,' Harry said as he shrugged, 'similar sense of humour, similar attitudes on life.'

'Well I'm glad you're happy,' Neville said with a slightly forced smile.

'Thanks Nev,' Harry said, completely oblivious to what was going on inside his friends head.

**TBC :)  
**


	9. Simulation, Simulation, Simulation

**An Unexpected Predicament**

**Chapter 9 - Simulation, Simulation, Simulation  
**

As January faded into February Harry had his second date with Justin. He rushed away the second his free-time started and apparated to the part of Muggle London where he was meeting Justin. This time he had organised the date, since Justin had done so well last time.

Harry smiled when he arrived, leaning against the wall in jeans and a t-shirt was Justin, he waved when he saw Harry appear from a side alley.

'Hey,' Harry said, shaking Justin's hand.

'Hey,' Justin said back, 'nice choice,' he added, pointing to the cinema behind him.

'Well,' Harry said sheepishly, 'I never got a chance to go to one as a kid, even though I grew up with Muggles, and I always wanted to. I figured you wouldn't mind since you're a Muggle-born.'

'Wouldn't mind?' Justin asked with a grin, 'I can't wait. I've not seen a movie since I was 11 years old.'

Harry smiled and said, 'Good,' as they walked into the reception area of the cinema and looked at the screens, trying to figure out what film they should see. There were four films playing today, _Fallen, Deep Rising, The Wedding Singer _and _Blues Brothers 2000_.

'Well, _Fallen _is about a demon who possesses hosts to kill people,' Justin said with a frown, 'bit too Muggle folklore for my liking.'

'I agree,' Harry said, 'What about _Deep Rising_? That's a horror, right?'

'It's basically about a giant squid getting pissed and attacking a boat,' Justin said, and Harry chuckled, 'how do you know this?'

'I read the summaries on the board outside while I was waiting for you,' Justin said, smirking in amusement, '_The Wedding Singer _is a romantic comedy about a waitress who falls in love with a wedding singer. Oh and _Blues Brothers 2000 _is a musical set in America.'

'Well I know nothing about movies,' Harry said honestly, 'you pick.'

Justin did, he chose the American musical and Harry bought tickets, drinks and popcorn. They sat down together in the cinema, enjoying the difference compared to the busy, magical life they led every other day of their lives. Harry didn't mind the film, but he enjoyed the experience more than anything else, the cinema wasn't too busy and as they were sitting at the back they could hold quiet conversations every so often without annoying anyone. Midway through the movie Justin slipped his hand into Harry's, it surprised him but Harry found that he didn't actually mind it. His hands weren't small and dainty like Ginny's, they were wider and rougher, probably due to the creatures he worked with, but it felt more natural than holding Ginny's small, soft hands ever had.

Shooting Justin a quick smile Harry looked back to the film, it passed fairly quickly and as the credits rolled they dropped hands and got to their feet. When they got outside Harry glanced at the time on his watch, it was only 3.30pm, Harry didn't need to be back at Auror training until 6pm.

'Uh Justin, do you have any other plans?' Harry asked, his cheeks flushing slightly.

'None at all,' Justin said with a smile, 'don't you need to get back?'

'Not until 6pm,' Harry said.

'Well, how about we go by my flat for a drink? Can you drink if you have to get back?' Justin asked as they sauntered along towards one of the side alleys.

'I can have a drink, I don't actually have any training until tomorrow and even then it's really only a potions lab,' Harry said with a smile.

'So you get Sundays off too?' Justin asked.

'Yeah, just the afternoons,' Harry said with a nod, 'same as Saturdays, but I'm usually round at the Weasley's for Sunday lunch all afternoon, then my Auror lot drag me out to the pub every Sunday night.'

Justin chuckled at this and told Harry the address of his flat, saying they would meet there. Harry shut his eyes and spun, appearing outside an apartment block about 15 minutes away from his own London flat. It didn't look quite as nice as Harry's from the outside, but looks could be deceiving. Justin's flat was on the ground floor, unlike Harry's top floor attic style flat, as he walked in however he realised just how similar they actually were. Their living rooms were both furnished almost exactly the same way, stylish and Muggle to the untrained eye, until you saw the picture of Justin, Ernie and Hannah on the mantelpiece that was moving, or the books on the bookshelf with titles like, _'Conversations with Centaurs' _or _'How to Gabble in Gobbledegook.'_

Harry smiled and said, 'Nice place Justin.'

Justin merely shrugged with a smile and said, 'It's not mine, not really. My Father paid for it, whats your drink of choice?'

'Uh, firewhiskey,' Harry said, sitting down on one of the comfortable sofa's as Justin walked into the kitchen, he returned moments later with two glasses of firewhiskey.

'Thanks,' Harry said gratefully as Justin handed him the glass, he sipped it and said, 'how refreshing, someone who drinks decent firewhiskey.'

Justin grinned and said, 'I like to pay that little bit extra for fine quality.'

'Oh, I know,' Harry said, rolling his eyes, 'whenever I go out with Neville all he drinks is the cheap stuff, it's horrible.'

'We sound like such pretentious gits,' Justin commented with a chuckle.

'I'm definitely not,' Harry said, 'I mean I grew up with Muggles…I'm only rich now because my parents were, and because I'm kind of a celebrity now.'

'Kind of? That's an understatement,' Justin said, shaking his head in disbelief, 'it must be hard though, to hide who you are from the world.'

'It is,' Harry said honestly, 'I wish I could be truthful but the war made me paranoid. I don't trust people anymore, I'm scared I'll tell someone and they will sell it to the prophet. The only people I really trust with my life are Ron and Hermione, and Neville sort of.'

'Why doesn't he know then?' Justin asked curiously, 'he is too, you know he wouldn't be bothered by it. Don't you?'

'Yeah, I know that,' Harry said, trying not to sound like an asshole, 'but he's my Auror partner and if he knew I was…I don't know, it might make things awkward.'

'Ah, you think he might get feelings for you which you don't return,' Justin guessed, and Harry nodded but that was a lie because he did return his feelings for Neville. Neville however clearly didn't have feelings for him since he had gotten back together with Stephen so easily.

'I understand,' Justin said simply, sipping his firewhiskey once more.

'So what about you? Do a lot of people know?' Harry asked.

'No,' Justin said with a slightly bitter laugh, 'my Father being a Lord in the Muggle world…it's the equivalent of a family like the Malfoy's in the Wizarding world. Our line is supposed to stay pure, we're supposed to marry women of a similar status. It's a lot of bullshit of course, either way my family couldn't really care less about whether I marry _or _produce an heir. I'm the only magical one of 4 brothers,' Justin said, frowning as he recounted his story, 'they pretty much disowned me when that happened, I'm the youngest so the heir to the estate doesn't really fall to me anyway, my Father bought me this place miles away from home to keep me away.'

'Will you stay away?' Harry asked.

Justin nodded, 'Ernie's family are more of a family to me than my own. I spend Christmas and most other holidays with them. They're as pretentious as Ernie, if not worse, but they don't actually mind that I'm gay. I get the feeling it's quite a common thing in the Wizarding world.'

'Common but hidden,' Harry said with a nod, 'Purebloods often marry to produce an heir but have affairs with men on the side.'

'That's pretty much what I assumed,' Justin said, 'but either way, they say you can't choose your family, I disagree.'

'So do I,' Harry admitted, stunned by how much he and Justin had in common, 'my parents died when I was so young that I don't even remember them. The Weasley's are my family now, Mrs. Weasley has been like a Mother to me since I was 11 years old.'

'What about the Muggles who raised you?'

'My Aunt and Uncle?' Harry snorted, 'they verbally abused me and made me sleep in a cupboard. I cut ties with them the second I got the chance, but I do keep in touch with my cousin Dudley.'

Justin nodded and said, 'Do you ever wonder how different our lives would be Harry? If we weren't Wizards?'

'Mine would be miserable,' Harry said honestly, 'or maybe it would be good, I don't know. My Aunt and Uncle hated me because they hated magic and they knew I would be a wizard since my parents were both magical. If I had been a squib…it's a longshot but they might have taken me in, and actually loved me.'

'I would have gone to Eton, and then Cambridge probably,' Justin said with a frown, 'I probably would have become involved in parliament. I couldn't imagine it though, not having magic, I love it.'

'Your job sounds like great fun,' Harry said, 'judging from what you've told me, and from what Hermione's told me about it.'

'It can be great,' Justin agreed with a smile, 'but it's boring as hell when we get paperwork days, I hate being stuck behind a desk.'

'I can imagine,' Harry said, shaking his head, 'that's why I'm training to become an Auror.'

Justin smiled as he put his empty firewhiskey glass down and turned to Harry, 'it shows by the way, that you do fitness training.'

Harry's cheeks flushed as Justin's eyes scanned his muscles which had gotten bigger since he started training, 'Thanks,' he said a little awkwardly.

Justin shrugged and said, 'I won't lie Harry, I find you attractive. It's hard to enjoy dates if you aren't attracted to the person you're going on them with.'

Harry licked his lips, they suddenly felt very dry, 'I know,' he said truthfully, 'I feel the same.'

'You've never kissed a man before,' Justin realised, moving ever so slightly closer to Harry, 'have you?'

'No, not really, just once but I was drunk and I don't really remember it,' Harry rambled very quickly.

Justin smiled and said, 'Don't worry about it so much, I bet you'll enjoy it.'

Harry swallowed as Justin looked into his eyes, a playful look there. Before he really knew what was happening Justin's lips were on Harry's and on instinct Harry was kissing Justin back. The kiss was unlike any kiss Harry had ever had before, it was slow and gentle, it was soft and when Justin's hands got tangled in Harry's hair he was pretty sure a fairly pathetic noise escaped his lips. Justin chuckled as he broke the kiss, 'see, that wasn't so bad, was it?'

'Quite the opposite,' Harry said weakly.

Justin laughed again and said, 'We should do this again sometime.'

'Yeah,' Harry agreed, 'we should,' he glanced at his watch, 'shit! I have 5 minutes to get back to training!'

'Sorry,' Justin said, but the smirk made his apology less believable.

'Yeah right,' Harry said with a grin, 'I'll owl you Justin,' he said as he rushed out of the door and apparated the second he got outside the building. He just got through the gates before they closed and he ran into the dining hall, panting and short of breath at 6pm on the dot.

'Good date?' Neville asked, pushing his food around on his plate when Harry sat down. Susan and Daphne were eating with someone else today.

'Great,' Harry said happily as he grabbed a tray and hungrily ate, all he'd had to eat was the popcorn at the cinema earlier.

'Good,' Neville said with a sigh, 'we had an announcement just before dinner. Simulation is starting soon.'

Harry sighed, 'Damn, its second semester now.'

'Yep,' Neville said, 'we start our field exercises in second year, simulation is supposed to prepare us for that.'

'So whats the deal with it?' Harry asked, frowning and feeling the elation from his date with Justin seeping away.

'Teams have to pass first,' Neville said, 'we go in based on rankings. The best first, the worst last. Once the team has passed the individuals do it.'

'Right,' Harry said, suddenly losing his appetite.

'Sumner thinks we might lose a few, apparently it happens a lot when simulation starts. We're in second. Susan and Daphne are a little above us in the rankings at the moment,' Neville sounded miserable but Harry didn't know why.

'Okay, I get why this makes _me _miserable,' Harry said with a frown, 'but why are you miserable? You didn't have a mental break down at simulation last time.'

'I'm worried,' Neville said honestly, 'since your first date with this mystery girl we've been slipping in the rankings, and I'm worried we won't be up to scratch for the simulation.'

'I'm sorry,' Harry said, biting his lip, he _had _been neglecting Neville since he had started seeing Justin, 'do you want to go to the duelling room in our free time tomorrow? Then we can go to the study hall, try and figure out what our weaknesses are and what they'll use against us?'

'We don't need to do that,' Neville said, 'it's not personalised this time, it's just a standard training exercise. We get 3 chances to pass, and if we fail the third we're automatically kicked out, same goes for the individual simulation when it comes round to that.'

Harry sighed and said, 'don't worry Nev, I won't let you down, we'll work on it all day tomorrow, I promise.'

'Don't you have Sunday lunch at The Burrow as usual?' Neville asked, neither of them were eating.

'It's on, but it happens every Sunday, I can miss this one out,' Harry said with a smile, 'come on, we might as well leave if we're not gonna eat.'

'Yeah,' Neville said, getting to his feet, 'thanks Harry.'

'No worries Nev.'

* * *

'So in theory we should be fine,' Harry was saying to Neville as they sat on one of the comfortable sofas in the study hall.

'If it sticks to being a standard training exercise then yes, we'll do perfectly,' Neville said happily.

'I'm glad we checked things out anyway,' Harry said as he shut the book he had been reading, 'I'm worried about going in there again.'

'Yeah, I know,' Neville said, smiling at Harry, 'we should do this again Harry. I miss seeing you in our free time, we only really talk at lunch and dinner these days.'

'Sorry,' Harry said, a sinking feeling in his stomach, 'I've been preoccupied.'

In truth Harry had been avoiding spending time with Neville in case it brought feelings forward, and as he expected today had brought feelings back to the fore. Regardless of how much he liked and got on with Justin, Harry just couldn't get Neville out of his head which drove him insane because Justin was great, and Neville was crazy about Stephen bloody Cornfoot.

'What's up Harry?' Neville asked, 'seems like your minds elsewhere.'

Harry sighed, wishing he had told Neville how he felt when he had the chance, like Hermione had told him to. It was too late now, Neville was happy, and Harry was on his way to being happy with Justin. His mind kept flashing back to that kiss on New Year's Eve and reminding him how much he wanted to do it again, but that wasn't a good idea. Neville was out of bounds, he was Harry's best friend and his training partner, he wasn't going to do anything to jeopardise that.

'Just worried about simulation,' Harry lied.

'I'm not worried about the joint team ones,' Neville said, 'but I am worried about the individual one that follows. Nothing is off-limits in that simulation Harry, they can use any unforgivable curse, they can kill you, although obviously they don't _really _kill you. They act on your fears, and because it's not technically real they can inflict so much pain and you feel it all, like its real pain, but then you open your eyes and you're in this white room without a mark on you.'

'You're worried they'll use the cruciatus curse on you,' Harry realised in a whisper, glancing around the empty room.

Neville nodded, unable to hide the fear in his eyes, 'I'm terrified of it,' he admitted, 'what if I wake up in that white room, insane like my parents?'

'Neville,' Harry said, grasping his friend's wrist, 'you can never be that way. You're strong, the strongest person I've ever met and you will fight whatever they do to you in that room.'

'My parents were strong Harry, and look what happened to them,' Neville whispered as he got teary.

'My parents were killed by the killing curse, but I survived it twice. You're not your parents Neville,' Harry said firmly, unaware his hand had slipped lower into Neville's, 'and if they do use it on you, I know you'll fight through it, I've got faith in you.'

Neville nodded shakily and then looked down, realising that Harry's hand was in his, Harry tried to hide his blush as he drew it away, 'sorry,' he muttered.

'Don't be,' Neville said, wiping his eyes and saying, 'we're kindred spirits after all.'

Harry smiled, reminded of the night he wasn't supposed to remember, 'why? Because our parents are both…'

'Dead-ish,' Neville said, making Harry chuckle.

'Tactful Nev,' Harry said, making Neville frown as he flashed back to the night they had kissed. The frown passed quickly and Neville said, 'we're in there tomorrow afternoon. Daphne and Susan are in first thing, after breakfast.'

'Well at least we get to skip our bloody psychology lecture,' Harry muttered and Neville laughed, saying, 'yes, well something good has come of it then.'

Neville smiled and got to his feet, 'Sorry for breaking down on you Harry.'

Harry shrugged and said, 'Don't be, I'm sure I'll breakdown on you at some point, just to get you back.'

As they left the study hall to get to the dining hall in time for food Harry cursed himself. His feelings for Neville had not only come back, they had come back with a vengeance. He had completely embarrassed himself earlier with his hand holding moment too. Still, Neville hadn't seemed bothered or suspicious by it, so Harry tried to let it go. He needed to focus as much as possible on the simulation training exercise the following day.

* * *

The next morning was difficult, Susan and Daphne were excited about having their first time in the simulation room, but they were also nervous because at the end of the day this was a graded training exercise that they had to pass. They didn't eat much at breakfast, but Neville and Harry tried their best to eat since they knew they probably wouldn't be able to do so at lunch time.

The girls left straight after breakfast and the morning could not have gone any slower as Harry and Neville dragged themselves through duelling, they didn't pay any attention in their lecture which Auror Carter chastised them for half-heartedly, she understood the pre-simulation room nerves amongst first years. After the lecture they had duelling again, and still managed to make their way up in the ranks despite the fact that they were both worried about simulation.

At lunch Harry and Neville _were _nervous but they were also curious as to how Susan and Daphne had done as they joined them once more.

'So,' Harry said expectantly.

'How did it go?' Neville asked swiftly.

'Good,' Susan said happily, 'we got a find and destroy.'

There were 6 basic training missions in Auror training. They were; Search and Rescue, which usually involved a hostage scenario in which they had to find and rescue the hostages, arresting the kidnapper was an advantage. Protection was another one, it involved protecting a high profile person from dark curses and ultimately death. A similar situation was Patrol and Secure, which involved securing an important building against dark magic and patrolling the perimeters to prevent anyone entering. The 4th was simply called Chaos, it was when a situation got out of hand, like an escaped dangerous creature, or an out of control magical fire, Aurors had to calm the situation down, rescue any survivors and often ended up working with other departments so they had to be patient. The 5th training mission was Interrogation which involved the capture and interrogation of a criminal, following the strict code about interrogation conduct. The final training mission was the one Susan and Daphne had been set, Find and Destroy, it involved tracking down an incredibly dangerous dark magic object, arresting the owner and neutralising the object. These training missions all had to be passed in the simulation room before any recruit was given the go ahead for field training missions. For the next few months every alternate week they would be doing the simulation room, and only once a team had passed all 6 simulation training missions would they be given the final test, their individual hell, their own personalised simulation.

'So what did you have to do?' Harry asked.

'We had to track down a diary from Malfoy Manor,' Daphne said, shrugging, 'I've absolutely no idea why.'

Harry frowned, a diary? Malfoy Manor? Tom Riddle's diary…Well, he supposed if they were trying to make it as realistic as possible...

'We found it pretty easily,' Susan admitted, 'we just did the standard check of the whole house, had to stupefy Lucius Malfoy of course because he wouldn't co-operate. We found it in a secret room under the drawing room floor in the end.'

'We passed,' Daphne added, 'apparently the only thing we did wrong was that we should have bound him after we stupefied him, so he couldn't escape if he woke up.'

'97%,' Susan said proudly.

'Not bad for your first shot at it,' Neville said, happy for them.

'Yes, but we all know Find and Destroy is one of the easier missions, had it been Search and Rescue, or Chaos, we probably wouldn't have done so well,' Daphne admitted sheepishly.

'We think that they're starting us off on the easier missions, to ease us into it,' Susan said biting her lip, 'so yours shouldn't be too bad.'

The girls turned out to be right. Harry and Neville's mission was simple, they were briefed by Sumner before they went into the simulation room.

'Recruit Potter, Recruit Longbottom,' Sumner greeted them formally, 'today we're sending you on a Patrol and Secure mission. We have intel that some escaped Death Eaters are trying to infiltrate Hogwarts through a pub called 'The Hogs Head'. Secure all entrance ways to Hogwarts, and place every protective spell you know on the place.'

'Yes sir,' Neville and Harry said in unison.

'Good luck recruits,' Sumner said, opening the door to the simulation room. They were a little less nervous now they knew that their mission wasn't too difficult. When the door shut behind them the scene materialised, they were standing on the street outside of the Hogs Head.

'Come on,' Harry said, 'we'll talk inside.'

Neville nodded and together they walked into the pub, there was an old hag sitting at one of the tables and a cloaked man sitting at the bar.

'Aberforth hey,' Neville said with a smile, flashing his Auror badge discreetly.

Aberforth nodded and said, 'Hey Neville, I'm glad you made it, got something to show you two upstairs.'

They followed Aberforth up the stairs into the dingy living room. Once inside they got to work.

'Muffliato,' Harry murmured, placing the spell on the walls and windows.

'Imperturbatus,' Neville said, aiming his wand at the door where a glowing blue barrier appeared.

'Alright,' Harry said, turning to Aberforth, 'no one should overhear us now. We have intel that escaped death eaters might try and use the passage from here to the school.'

'We've been instructed to seal it off and place enchantments around your pub Abe,' Neville added, knowing that the younger Dumbledore wouldn't like this.

'What kind of enchantments? Will my customers still be able to get in?' Aberforth asked with narrowed eyes.

'No,' Harry replied instantly.

'Then you aren't bloody well doing it, this is my livelihood boy!' Aberforth snapped.

'I think death eaters getting into Hogwarts is worse than your pub being out of action for a while Aberforth,' Harry said firmly.

'So you're just going to seal me off and leave me here to go hungry?'

'No,' Neville said, shooting Harry a warning glance, 'we'll put the protections around the upstairs so only you can get up here. We'll leave the downstairs part of the building free of any enchantments.'

Aberforth narrowed his eyes at Neville, surveying him for a moment, 'alright,' he said eventually.

'Right,' Harry said, 'good. Now how does this entrance way work?'

'Ariana doesn't let anyone in apart from me. She's not real, she's a magical portrait which means she's programmed,' Aberforth explained.

'Programmed?' Harry asked with a frown.

'Programmed in a certain way,' Neville cut in, 'the fat lady at Hogwarts for example is programmed to open when the correct password is given, regardless of who gives that password. The Ravenclaw common room door is programmed to open when the riddle is answered, even if the person answering it isn't a Ravenclaw or isn't a student. Some portraits are programmed to only open to one voice, nothing else will work.'

'Okay,' Harry said slowly, 'but someone could still use polyjuice potion and pose as Aberforth, using his voice to open the portrait.'

Neville nodded and said, 'Which is why we need to seal it off regardless.'

'It's not going to harm her portrait, is it?' Aberforth asked, instructing Ariana's portrait to open.

'No, we'll just block the passageway behind the portrait and put a permanent sticking charm on the portrait,' Harry said and Neville added, 'which if need be we can remove for you at a later date.'

'Alright then,' Aberforth said, 'get on with it, I need to manage the bar.'

Neville removed the imperturbable charm from the door and let Aberforth retreat downstairs then he put it up again and said, 'this isn't too bad, is it?'

'Fairly standard,' Harry agreed with a smile, 'how do you want to block the passageway?'

'Cave it in?' Neville suggested.

'We could do,' Harry said thoughtfully, 'but there's no telling what sort of structural damage that might do.'

'True,' Neville said, he chewed his lip thoughtfully and Harry's cheeks flushed at the motion because it made him think about kissing his partner, thoughts he was trying to discourage.

'I have an idea,' Harry said, prying open the window and saying, 'accio rock,' he held out his hand and expertly caught the stone that flew up towards them.

'Ah, I get it,' Neville said as Harry placed the stone in the entrance of the portrait, 'you're going to transfigure it into a boulder to block the entrance off.'

'Yep,' Harry said simply, concentrating on transfiguring the rock, he got it on his first time and it went very well, something he was proud of considering how bad he had been at transfiguration at Hogwarts.

'Nice,' Neville said as the portrait swung shut and he cast a permanent sticking charm on it.

'Since it was _your _idea to tell Aberforth that we didn't have to seal off the whole pub, tell me, what spells are we going to use?' Harry asked Neville in amusement.

Neville smiled slightly, 'I was wondering when that was going to come up. I thought we could put charms on the portrait itself rather than the room, that way Aberforth won't disturb them but we don't disturb his business.'

'Yes, very diplomatic of you,' Harry said, 'I think you ought to join the Department of Magical Co-operation.'

Neville smirked and said, 'Not enough action for me.'

Harry laughed at this and they got to work, placing a sealing charm on the portrait for good measure. They also placed a caterwauling charm around the portrait so the alarm would sound if anyone touched it.

After that they basically spent the next 10 minutes putting every protective spell they knew on the thing.

'Cave Inimicum…Protego Totalum…Protego Horribilis…Salvio Hexia…'

'That should do it,' Neville said.

'Should we put stealth sensoring charms anywhere?' Harry asked as a last minute thought.

'We could put one around the portrait?' Neville suggested.

'Works for me,' Harry said, mumbling the charm and placing it around and on the portrait.

'Job done,' Neville said, grinning at Harry.

The scene dissolved straight away and Harry and Neville found themselves in the white room once more. Sumner walked in, a smile playing on his lips as he said, 'Well done Recruits. That was closer to perfect than we've seen in a long time for a first time simulation training exercise.'

Harry and Neville shared a happy smirk at this, Sumner continued, 'I'm giving you a grade of 99%, I know it probably seems harsh but we couldn't quite give you a perfect grade because you did make one small mistake.'

'What did we do wrong?' Harry asked, delighted at the grade he and Neville had received.

'You didn't know about the programming of magical portraits Potter, and I know you haven't been taught it yet, but it's the rules,' Sumner said apologetically.

'Nah that's fair,' Harry said, 'Thanks sir, I'm more than happy with the score.'

'So you should be,' Sumner said, 'see you boys tomorrow morning first thing.'

'Yes sir,' Harry and Neville said, taking this as their cue to leave. They talked excitedly about their success all the way to the dining hall and spent the rest of the evening gloating about it to the girls.

**TBC :)  
**


	10. All of These Secrets

**An Unexpected Predicament**

**Chapter 10 - All These Secrets  
**

As the weeks progressed Harry continued to see Justin once a week, either on a Saturday or Sunday, and he continued to push his feelings for Neville down whenever they boiled up to the surface. Harry and Justin were taking things incredibly slow, so by the time Harry and Neville came to their third training exercise in the simulation room, Harry had gone on 5 dates with Justin and they had all involved a lot of kissing, but nothing more. Neither of them were really in a hurry though, and it was nice to just spend time together.

Harry and Neville had still been excelling, and it was the beginning of March now. Their second simulation test had been 'Protection' which basically involved them spending 2 hours trailing around invisible behind the Muggle Prime Minister protecting him from dark curses, booby traps and the killing curse. It had been remarkably easy and remarkably boring, Harry and Neville had gotten 98% and had been told their score would have been perfect if Harry hadn't mumbled a little too loudly that he wanted to kill the bloody Prime Minister himself.

The Monday of their third training exercise was the day after Harry's latest date with Justin, he was still enjoying himself and he and Justin had just agreed to make things official and say they were 'seeing each other'. They had been going on dates for a month so it made sense. When Harry had told Neville this news he had seemed less than enthusiastic about it, but that didn't make sense to Harry because Neville was the one in a serious relationship. Harry of course hadn't told Neville who his mysterious 'girlfriend' was, just that they were 'seeing each other now'.

As they were ahead in the rankings again Harry and Neville were first into the simulation this time, and Susan and Daphne would follow in the afternoon. When they arrived outside the simulation room they were greeted, as usual, by Sumner who briefed them.

'Recruits Potter and Longbottom. We've had reports of a blood quill in the possession of a wizard by the name of Edward Arsenius. He's a Half-blood who was a known sympathiser of Lord Voldemort. We never did know if he was a death eater, but we always suspected. He's been using the quill to torture Muggle children,' Sumner informed them, 'we want you to arrest him and confiscate the item in question.'

'Yes sir,' Harry and Neville said in unison.

'Good luck,' Sumner said with a tight-lipped smile as he opened the door.

The scene materialised fairly quickly and Harry and Neville found themselves in the town square of a little quaint Muggle village.

'I wonder where we are,' Harry said thoughtfully.

'Williton,' Neville replied instantly.

'Huh? How do you know that Neville?' Harry asked, frowning at the Muggles milling around.

'It says so there, on that pub,' Neville pointed out in amusement.

'Right, so it does,' Harry muttered, 'but how are we supposed to know where this guy lives?'

'In that big house across the street,' Neville said casually.

'What? Nev, how did you know _that_?' Harry asked in disbelief.

'Bloody hell Harry you have _got _to work on your observation,' Neville said in amusement, 'it's a dead giveaway, you know, the fact the words 'Arsenius House' are engraved into the stone.'

Harrys' cheeks flushed as they crossed the street to the big house, 'Point taken, so whats our plan?'

'Go in, arrest him on suspicion of torturing Muggles, if he resists stupefy and bodybind him?' Neville suggested as they reached the steps up to the house.

'Then find the quill and what, destroy it? Or just neutralise it?' Harry asked, frowning in thought.

'We shouldn't destroy it, they might need to use it in the Wizengamot trial as evidence,' Neville reminded Harry as they reached the door and knocked loudly.

The door opened and a short, plump wicked looking man with barely any hair and beady little eyes answered, 'Yes?' he said sharply.

'Good morning Sir,' Neville said politely, 'we're from the Ministry of Magic, we have some bad news for you. Could we please come in?'

'Of course, of course,' the man said, standing back from the door, 'can't talk out here with all these Muggles around after all,' the way he practically spat the word 'Muggle' was disconcerting.

Once Harry and Neville were safely inside the house Neville said, 'Sir, I'm Neville Longbottom, and this is Harry Potter. We're from the Auror office at the Ministry, we need to ask you a few questions about a blood quill.'

The man's face changed instantly, he grew red in the face, 'You lied to me! I have no such thing in my property!'

'So you won't object to us searching your property then?' Harry asked brightly, handing the man a roll of parchment, 'we have a search warrant.'

His face went from red to purple and Harry was reminded of his Uncle Vernon, he tried to suppress his amusement, 'How _dare _you?'

'I'll take that as a no,' Harry said, 'Sir, we have a warrant for your arrest.'

'I will go _nowhere _with you!' the angry little wizard huffed.

After another 10 minutes of the man shouting abuse at them and Neville and Harry trying to convince him to come quietly they had to stun him.

'Petrificus Totalus!' Neville said, the man's body stiffened and he was finally quiet, leaving them free to search the house for the blood quill.

'The tables have turned since 1st year,' Harry said in amusement, 'haven't they Nev?'

'To be fair it was _your _fault I got that spell used on me,' Neville said with a chuckle.

'It was _not _my fault!' Harry exclaimed, 'Hermione used it on you.'

'Yeah but it was your idea to sneak out,' Neville said with a raised eyebrow, 'you're always the ring leader, everyone just follows you, like sheep.'

'You've followed me for years Nev,' Harry said with a grin, 'you must be a bloody loyal sheep.'

'Call me a sheep if you want,' Neville said with a slight smile, 'I'd do it all over again.'

Harry smiled back, about to respond when Sumner's voice said from nowhere, 'quit the flirting girls and get back to the mission.'

Neville laughed loudly at this, but Harry tried to hide the uncomfortable look that passed across his face as he said, 'Right, so we need to find this blood quill. How are we going to do that? We established last time that splitting up isn't a good idea.'

'We'll probably just have to check the usual places and see if we can find it,' Neville said, 'shall we start in the drawing room?'

Harry frowned, 'Wait, I have an idea. Accio blood quill!'

He waited, Neville smirked, nothing happened.

'Did you _honestly _think that would work? And what is your obsession with that spell anyway?' Neville asked through his laughter as he walked into the drawing room with Harry trailing behind him.

'Hey, it worked before! In the Triwizard Tournament!' Harry said, defending himself.

'Yeah, do you see any dragons around?' Neville teased, making Harry blush, 'we're going to have to do this the old fashioned way mate.'

Harry rolled his eyes and said, 'Typical, you're always the one with all the old fashioned techniques.'

'It's not my fault your flashy spells don't work for everything,' Neville said in amusement, 'make yourself useful and start casting revealing charms. If there's a secret cavity or room anywhere in the vicinity they'll pick up on it.'

'Sure,' Harry said, adding, 'you know I can't believe you're taking control of this mission. We're basically just finding things, what did I do for a whole year when I should have been in 7th year?'

'This time you haven't got somebody else's thoughts to help you though,' Neville said as he cast a couple of spells, 'you're acting on your own brains now.'

'Oh very good. I didn't completely use Voldemort's thoughts to find the horcruxes, it did require some level of skill,' Harry said, sticking up for himself.

'And how much of that level of skill involved your best friend, who happens to be the smartest witch of our age, telling you what to do?' Neville asked with a grin.

'Shut up Neville,' Harry said weakly.

'Is that really the best you can come up with?' Neville asked as he chortled.

Harry rolled his eyes, 'why don't you check behind that tapestry?'

Neville followed Harry's line of sight to a large tapestry. Harry continued, 'it looks new, a lot newer than the others and it's free of dust, like its drawn back often rather than left like the others. Leads me to believe that it's hiding something.'

'I take back what I said about observation,' Neville remarked as they drew the tapestry back and using magic extracted a wooden box. They were careful not to touch it until they had used every spell they could think of to rid it of traps. Harry opened the box and shining inside was the blood quill.

'Gotcha,' Harry said, making his way back to the man in the hallway who was still under the full bodybind, 'Mr. Edward Arsenius, we're arresting you for possession of a Class B dark magic item. You're required by law to come in for questioning right away.'

With these words the scene dissolved and once more Harry and Neville were in the simulation room when it was in its neutral white state. Sumner walked in, looking proud and trying to hide a smile as always.

'Apart from the sentimental chatter boys, that was good. You passed by a good margin, 92%. What you did wrong was touch the object, you should never touch a dark magic object. You levitate it into a bag just in case there are any traces of dark magic you didn't manage to erase, and also to avoid getting fingerprints on it when it may be used in a trial.'

'Thanks sir,' Neville said, and Harry nodded politely.

'Good job you two.'

* * *

'So we're halfway through,' Harry was saying happily as he sat drinking wine in the sitting room of his London flat with Justin, 'three more simulation rooms and then my individual exercise and I'm cleared for field duty.'

'I don't blame you for being excited about it, I'd go insane stuck in the same building all the time too,' Justin said, 'I mean you only get a few hours on a Saturday and a Sunday out of the place.'

'Ah well, I knew it was going to be tough when I joined,' Harry said, 'but it's what I want to do, I can grin and bear it for that.'

'I understand,' Justin said, 'Oh, I meant to say, I've been invited to Hannah's birthday party, she knows I'm seeing someone, but don't worry she doesn't know who. She told me to invite you.'

'Oh,' Harry said, 'well that's nice of her. Who'll be there?'

'Just a few of us, Ernie, Susan, Neville, Hermione, Ron…' Justin said thoughtfully, thankfully not looking at Harry and missing the look that passed across his face when he said Neville's name.

'I'm not sure that's a good idea,' Harry said with a frown, 'Neville's my partner and Susan is close to us at the training centre…I don't want to risk it getting made known by my superiors that I'm…well, it's the sort of thing I should have disclosed in my file and I haven't yet.'

Justin sighed heavily, 'I understand your reservations Harry, but you can't keep it secret forever, _we _can't keep this secret forever.'

'I know, and I'm not asking for that long,' Harry assured Justin, 'I just…I want to pass my first year before anything about my sexuality gets made known, by my superiors or by the press. By then they can't kick me out, now all it takes is a couple of words and I'm gone. If I pass first year they have to give me three written warnings first.'

'When does your 1st year end?' Justin asked a little huffily.

'June,' Harry admitted sheepishly.

'June? Harry, June is 2 and a half months away!' Justin exclaimed.

Harry groaned, looking at Justin properly, 'I know, but it's important to me Justin,' he said honestly, 'being an Auror means so much to me, I don't want to throw my chance at that away.'

Justin sighed, leaning forward and kissing Harry lightly, 'alright,' he said, 'I can wait till June.'

* * *

As March drew itself out, Harry and Neville had another simulation room exercise. This time it was interrogation and in a very good cop/bad cop way they worked well together. Neville was cool, calm and collected, Harry got up in their faces and scared them. Between them they had gotten the information out of their criminal in less than an hour and they had exited the room with a score of 99%. They were constantly close with Susan and Daphne who regularly got grades between 95% and 98%. The competition was heating up.

After their 4th simulation exercise Harry found himself nervous as he said goodbye to Neville and Susan. They were both dressed smart casual, and Harry had to admit that Neville looked remarkably good in tight jeans and a loose fitting, low cut t-shirt.

'Have fun at Hannah's party,' Daphne said, waving at them from behind her potions book.

'Yeah,' Harry said, praying Justin wouldn't mention him, and that Neville wouldn't mention him to Justin either, 'have a good time.'

'I'm sure we will,' Neville said, and Susan added, 'don't wait up for us guys!'

Harry frowned as they left, and he listened to their footsteps as they rushed down the wooden stairs.

'Come on then Potter, what's up with you?' Daphne asked, putting her book down and studying the Gryffindor.

'What? Nothing, I'm fine,' Harry lied.

'You're a terrible liar for someone who wants to become an Auror,' Daphne said in amusement, 'you can tell me whats up you know. I'm good at keeping secrets.'

Harry shook his head, 'Really, it's nothing.'

Daphne sighed and said, 'Fine, I meant to tell you by the way, I'm having a little get together at my place at the end of the month. It's just a few people from school and you, Neville and Susan. You should bring your girlfriend.'

Harry frowned, 'I…I don't know if that's a good idea.'

'Why?' Daphne asked curiously, 'you guys must be serious now, it's been like 2 months.'

Harry floundered, 'Yeah…but, she's shy…'

'You're lying Potter,' Daphne said, narrowing her eyes, 'and I do find this a bit suspicious. 2 months and none of us have ever seen her? Why would that be?'

'Um, she's a Muggle so I can go visit her but she can't visit me,' Harry lied.

'I'm a Slytherin Potter, I'm not going to give up. Just tell me the truth, it will be a lot quicker for everyone involved,' Daphne said, partly in jest but also in frustration.

'She doesn't exist, I don't have a girlfriend,' Harry blurted out, instantly regretting the words.

Daphne frowned and said, 'But…then where have you been going?'

'I have been going on dates,' Harry said with a sigh, 'but I don't have a _girlfriend_.'

Daphne's eyes widened in realisation, 'Oh! You're-'

'Yeah,' Harry said, chuckling at her reaction, 'only nobody knows, so please keep it quiet.'

'I told you, I can keep secrets,' Daphne said with a smile, 'I never even realised.'

'That's kind of the point,' Harry admitted, 'I've been trying to keep it secret, I don't want the press to know.'

'Which is why you invented a girlfriend,' Daphne realised, and Harry nodded.

'Well, people _will _get suspicious since you're never seen with this girlfriend,' Daphne said honestly.

'I know but what am I supposed to do? I don't have any female friends who'll pretend to be my girlfriend,' Harry said in exasperation.

'Maybe you don't, but I do,' Daphne said with a smirk, 'one of my friends from school wants to be an actress. For a small fee she'll happily pretend to be your girlfriend.'

'Really?' Harry asked a little hopefully, 'how can I contact her?'

'Just owl her,' Daphne said, 'her name is Tracey Davis. Bring her to my party at the end of the month and make sure you get photographed leaving, kiss her and make sure the press catches it. That should get people off your back for a bit.'

'Thanks Daphne,' Harry said with a smile as he got to his feet, 'does this mean we're friends now?'

'Sure,' Daphne said, smiling, 'see you tomorrow Harry.'

'See you,' Harry said with a smile, he felt a little bit better now that someone at Auror training knew his secret, and strangely enough he did trust Daphne with his secret. He went to his dorm and wrote out a letter to Tracey asking to meet up with her on Saturday next, to discuss his situation with her in more detail. With the letter sent off he went back to the common room where he and Daphne spent the evening reading.

* * *

Harry was still awake when Neville walked into the dorm, he wasn't drunk but he did smell of firewhiskey.

'Hey Nev,' Harry said with a smile, 'good night?'

Neville smiled, 'oh Harry, you waited up for me.'

Harry shrugged, glad the darkness hid his blush, it was after lights out, Neville and Susan had gotten special permission to come back so late, 'Wasn't tired.'

Neville nodded, 'Yeah, it was quite a good party, the last time I played drinking games like that I think I was 16.'

'What sort of games?' Harry asked with a raised eyebrow.

'What are you, my Mother Harry?' Neville asked in amusement.

'Nah, I'm just curious, I've never played any drinking games,' Harry admitted, as Neville sat down on his bunk.

'You've never played Truth or Dare?' Neville asked in surprise, 'that was pretty much all we played.'

'Anything interesting happen?' Harry asked nosily.

'Not really,' Neville replied, 'just a kiss with Justin Finch-Fletchley.'

Harry frowned, the sting of betrayal shooting through him, 'What? Why would you do that?'

'Why do you care?' Neville's confused voice asked.

Harry tried to cover it up, 'I just…well you're with someone Neville, and I don't like cheaters.'

'Stephen was there Harry,' Neville said in amusement, 'and he was fine with it, but thanks for trying to save my soul. Save that for the next dark lord we go up against.'

Harry tried to laugh, 'Yeah,' he said weakly, 'anyway I'm tired, night Nev.'

'Night Harry,' Neville said, sounding a little concerned but saying nothing more.

* * *

When Harry arrived on Justin's doorstep on Sunday afternoon the Hufflepuff already knew why he was there.

'Hey Harry,' he said weakly, letting him walk into the flat.

'I heard about last night Justin,' Harry said angrily, 'Bit stupid really, kissing your boyfriends dorm mate, he told me as soon as he got in last night.'

'I'm sorry Harry,' Justin said honestly, 'he knew I was seeing someone, it was just a dare, we'd all had a bit to drink.'

'Yeah, but why would you do that?' Harry asked, the hurt in his voice so clear, 'why?'

'Harry it was just a dare!' Justin exclaimed, 'calm down, it's not like I have feelings for him or anything.'

'If you didn't have feelings for him you shouldn't have kissed him,' Harry said, still fuming.

'It wasn't even a good kiss,' Justin admitted, 'nothing like yours.'

This softened Harry up again, he leant against the wall in the hallway, 'I have trust issues as it is Justin.'

'I know,' Justin said, biting his lip, 'I swear, it was nothing more than a dare,' he said, stopping in front of Harry and kissing him, as always he forgot about everything bad in the world when Justin kissed him. He let his eyes flutter shut as Justin's lips collided against his own, the kiss was much needier than it had been before as Justin slowly pushed Harry back into his bedroom. He was so involved in the kiss that he didn't realise until Justin pushed him down onto the bed.

'Justin-' Harry began.

'Harry, I know you're scared,' Justin said simply, 'you've been leaving in a hurry every time I mention the bedroom.'

'It's not that…' Harry floundered weakly as Justin kissed his neck, 'it's…well…Justin, stop.'

Justin stopped and lay down on his side next to Harry.

'I've never slept with a guy alright,' Harry said quietly, ducking his head.

Justin chuckled at this and said, 'Harry…'

Harry looked up and caught his eye, Justin smiled, 'Neither have I.'

Harry's eyes widened, 'But…but you're so…comfortable.'

'I'm just used to it, I've known I was gay for a while longer than you,' Justin said honestly, 'we're both in exactly the same situation here okay? I'm not even proposing we go all the way tonight, but I think we both need to stop being scared and let ourselves have fun.'

'Okay,' Harry said, smiling and nodding as Justin captured his lips once more and moved on top of him, Harry's heart sped up as Justin moved against him, they were both still fully clothed but Harrys reaction to Justin's movements was so instant he found himself blushing in embarrassment until he realised that he wasn't the only one in the predicament. Taking Justin's advice Harry stopped worrying and actually let himself let go.

* * *

'Are you in a better mood tonight than you were last night?' Neville asked cautiously when Harry walked into the dorm he shared with Neville.

'Maybe,' Harry said, unable to hide his grin.

'Good,' Neville said, 'cause you were in a bloody bad one last night.'

'Well, you did leave me all on my own with Daphne,' Harry said light-heartedly.

'I thought you liked Daphne,' Neville said in amusement.

'I do, but so much Slytherin and nothing else to balance it out,' he shook his head, 'its hard work.'

Neville laughed, then said, 'Hang on a minute…why _are _you in such a good mood all of a sudden?'

'No reason, just a really good date,' Harry said as he swung himself into his bunk.

'Uh huh?' Neville asked in amusement, 'I recognise that look, you got laid didn't you?'

'Not quite,' Harry said honestly, 'but my pleasant mood may have something to do with something you may have just said.'

'You're a cryptic git,' Neville said with a chuckle, 'shake yourself out of it, we've got our 5th simulation tomorrow, I need you on top form.'

'I'm always on top form Nev,' Harry said smugly, 'anyway, it can only be Chaos or Search and Rescue.'

'Chaos is my bet,' Neville said, 'I think Search and Rescue will be left to last, it's the most difficult and dangerous.'

'Yeah, you're probably right. Are the girls up first tomorrow again?' Harry asked.

'Nope, we're ahead in the rankings at the moment. We're up first thing tomorrow,' Neville said.

'Good, good. At least we get it over with fairly quickly,' Harry said, he yawned, 'bloody hell I'm tired.'

Neville chuckled and made a comment about how Harry must have had a tiring afternoon, but it sounded more bitter than good natured. Harry sighed, wondering if he was ever going to be able to stop his brain and his feelings from ping-ponging between Justin and Neville.

* * *

When Harry and Neville met Sumner outside the simulation room the next morning their suspicions were confirmed, it was a Chaos training mission, which left Search and Rescue as the last one.

'Good Morning Recruits Potter and Longbottom,' Sumner said briskly, 'we've got a dragon out of control in a small wizarding town in Wales. We've got multiple injured and two presumed dead on the scene. The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures have people on their way, you'll be expected to work in conjunction with them to get the injured to safety, evacuate the area and remove the dead from the scene. If you can help bring the dragon down then by all means do so.'

'Yes sir,' Neville and Harry said in unison.

As usual Sumner said, 'Good luck,' and opened the door.

When Neville and Harry walked in they couldn't believe the scene that materialised in front of their eyes. There was fire everywhere and the sounds of human suffering, screams, groans and moans of pain, the scene was one of complete destruction.

'Are you the Aurors?' a familiar person asked over the screams.

'Yes, we are,' Neville replied as Harry frowned, 'yeah, hey Justin.'

'Hey Potter,' Justin said quickly, Harry frowned and then remembered this was a simulated version of Justin, not the real Justin, he shook his head and listened to what he was saying.

'I'm from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, my colleagues and I will concentrate on sedating the dragon, can you please do your job?' Justin asked snappily, shouting to a woman in the distance, 'Granger, it's a few miles due North on its way back here!'

Harry and Neville were thrown into the situation quickly, no time for joking around. This was a seriously dangerous situation so they set up shield charms and assessed the damage. This really was a small village, with only around 20 houses. A lot of people had already fled to the forest edge but the injured and dead were scattered in the fiery remains of what had been the town centre.

'I make out 7 dead, and about 12 injured!' Neville shouted to Harry as they did an initial sweep of the scene.

'Same!' Harry shouted back, feeling the heat from the fire even through his shield charm, 'let's get the injured out first!'

Neville nodded and said, 'I'll cover you while you make the portkeys Harry, It's not my strong point!'

'Okay!' Harry shouted and with shield charms up they rushed to the first injured person, Harry grabbed a rock and put it on the woman's chest, whispering the incantation which made the rock into a portkey which would send the woman straight to St. Mungo's. In seconds she was gone and they moved onto the next one, Harry couldn't cover himself while doing the spells so Neville held a shield charm over them both and watched out for the dragon. They worked silently and quickly, concentration and speed were important in this job.

It didn't take very long to ensure all the injured people had left the immediate danger zone and as the last person was whooshed away to St. Mungo's Neville shouted, 'Harry, Dragon!'

Harry cursed under his breath, putting his shield charm up and yelling, 'We _have _to evacuate the survivors!'

'What about them?' Neville shouted over the dragon's roars, 'we need to save them,' he pointed to the people lying in the middle of the danger zone.

'Neville they're dead! We have to help the people that are still alive!' Harry shouted, grabbing his friends arm and pulling him towards the survivors who were cowering in the forest.

'But what if they're still alive?' Neville asked stubbornly.

'Neville, they're not!' Harry shouted, panicking as the dragon neared them, 'and if they are they're so badly burned they'll die anyway! Now please move or it's going to kill you!'

Neville nodded reluctantly and he and Harry broke out into a run towards the edge of the forest. Neville put up an impressive shield charm that created a dome around the 30 survivors while Harry frantically created 3 portkeys from things around them, one was a wooden log, another was a large boulder and the third was an old piece of rope. He told everyone to hold on and not to let go, Neville did the comforting bit and told them they'd be taken to St. Mungo's just in case they had any injuries and also for the shock. Harry and Neville waited until the portkeys activated at staggered intervals over 5 minutes, eventually the survivors were all gone and Neville dropped the shield charm, panting heavily at the effort it had taken. Harry put up a smaller one and put his arm around his friend, 'that was amazing Nev,' he said with a smile.

They glanced out at the village, the dragon was being bombarded with stunners that didn't seem to be having any effect on its tough skin. It was flying a little away from the village so Neville and Harry rushed in, checking the presumed dead for pulses. None of them had any so Harry made portkeys that transported them to the morgue in St. Mungo's. A quick charm told them that there was nobody else here apart from them and the two officials from the Department for the R&amp;CoMC, Justin and Hermione.

'Come on, let's see if we can help,' Harry said, still holding Neville up a little as they walked towards them.

'What are you going to do Harry?' Neville joked weakly, 'you don't have a broomstick.'

Harry managed to laugh at that as they reached Justin and Hermione, 'how can we help?' he shouted to them.

'Subdue or kill the dragon!' Justin shouted.

'Subdue preferably!' Hermione added.

The dragon was a Welsh green, but that didn't really help Harry or Neville in terms of subduing or killing it. He did know that they weren't supposed to be violent unless provoked so he knew that if this were a real situation, which it wasn't, there would be an enquiry into what happened by the Auror department.

Harry and Neville joined in with the stunners but it wasn't working then Harry watched in slow motion as the dragons tale spun around, hitting Hermione hard in the face. Harry heard the loud snap as her neck broke and he watched her face drain of colour as she fell to the ground, he very nearly flashed back to the war.

'HERMIONE!'

'Harry, it's not real,' Neville said, grabbing Harry's arm, 'I'm the only thing here that's real.'

Whatever Neville had been trying to do, it worked. Harry kept control of the situation and in his rage at what the dragon had done to Hermione he shot a piercing charm right through its eye. It roared in agony and fell heavily to the ground, dead.

'Good work Potter,' Justin said, patting Harry on the back as he made his way to Hermione's body, Harry didn't look at her, he wasn't even aware that Neville's hand was still on his arm as the scene disappeared and the white room was back. Harry realised that he'd done the wrong thing entirely, if that had been real and Harry had killed the dragon when Hermione had wanted so badly to subdue it and had died trying to do so, well he would never have forgiven himself.

As the door opened Neville let go of Harry's arm, just in time for Sumner to walk in.

'Not bad,' Sumner said with an impressed nod, 'but do try and keep your temper in check next time Potter.'

'Yes Sir,' Harry said quietly.

'It's a pass, but not your best. 85%,' Sumner said, and Harry nodded, he thought that was good all things considered, 'Would have been higher had you kept your cool Potter, and the fact you two argued knocked a bit off it too. But for a first time in a Chaos situation you did great, most people fail or only pass by a few percent. Good job.'

'Thanks Sir,' Harry and Neville said as they left the room, they both felt completely exhausted but they still had the whole afternoon of training to get through.

**TBC :)**


	11. Faking It

**An Unexpected Predicament**

**Chapter 11 - Faking It  
**

_**A/N: Didn't post anything yesterday so here is the second of two chapters today! Enjoy! **_

* * *

The week went by fast after Harry's conversation with Daphne and as soon as his free-time began on Saturday Harry went back to his flat to await Tracey Davis's arrival. He had been sitting down for about 5 minutes when there was a knock at the door. As Harry opened it he realised that Tracey was very attractive, even he could see that. She had tanned skin, dark brown hair and mirthful brown eyes.

'Hey Potter,' she said with a grin as Harry opened the door wider.

'Hey,' Harry said, 'glad you could make it, come in.'

'Don't mind if I do,' Tracey said, walking into the living room and sitting down on the sofa. Harry sat down next to her and immediately she said, 'So whats this job you told me about?'

'We'll just cut to the chase then,' Harry said in amusement.

'I don't do small talk,' Tracey said with a smirk.

'Okay,' Harry said, 'how much has Daphne told you?'

'Not much, she said it was yours to tell,' Tracey said, leaning back and surveying him.

'I need you to pretend to be my girlfriend,' Harry admitted sheepishly.

Tracey raised an eyebrow at him, 'Aren't you the great Harry Potter? Why would you need _anyone _to pretend to be your girlfriend?'

'Because I need to portray an image of myself…that isn't entirely true…because the truth isn't exactly accepted,' Harry said awkwardly.

'So you're gay, but you need the press to see you with a woman to get the rumour mills flowing for the next little while,' Tracey realised, 'I get you. What exactly do I need to do?'

'Come to Daphne's party with me tonight,' Harry said, 'and get photographed with me afterwards, kissing or whatever, something to fuel the press. Then just come out to functions with me as and when they come up.'

'Okay,' Tracey said with a nod, 'you got a rate in mind?'

'100 galleons for every night I need your help?' Harry asked.

'100?' Tracey whistled and said, 'hey I was thinking 80, but I'll shake on that,' Tracey said, reaching out and shaking Harry's hand, 'you got yourself a deal Potter.'

'Great, thank you so much!' Harry said, handing her a bag, 'that's the deposit, I'll get my house elf to send the rest across later today.'

'No problem,' Tracey said as she put the money in her bag, 'So I'll swing by here tonight about 7?'

'Sounds great,' Harry said happily, 'the dress code is smart casual, in case Daphne didn't tell you.'

'Got ya,' Tracey said with a grin, she walked pulled open the door where Justin stood with his hand poised to knock. Tracey winked as she left, 'he's all yours,' she said.

Justin frowned as he walked into the flat, 'What was that about?'

'That's Tracey, she's going to be my fake girlfriend,' Harry said cautiously, 'just so the press can get some pictures and get off my back for a while.'

'Really? We're at that point? Fake girlfriends?' Justin asked in disbelief, 'are you ashamed of me Harry?'

'No,' Harry said, he bit his lip, 'it's just that…people won't handle it well, finding out the chosen one they all worship is gay. It has nothing to do with you, I promise.'

Justin sighed heavily and said, 'I'm just sick of having to hide it from the world.'

'I told you Justin, it won't be forever,' Harry said with a sigh, 'just a little while longer, till June.'

'Then June better hurry up,' Justin said, 'I've got to get back to work Harry, paperwork beckons.'

Before Harry had a chance to say anymore or to try and fix anything, Justin was gone.

* * *

'Ready Potter?'

Harry put his arm in Tracey's as they arrived outside a very posh block of flats in Mayfair, Daphne was clearly loaded, her flat was nicer than Harry's and Justin's combined, and it was in the most expensive wizarding quarter in the whole of England. The block of flats was more like a converted manor house.

'Yep,' Harry said with a smile, 'I got Hermione to tip the press off, they know I'm here so they'll see us on the way out.'

'Perfect,' Tracey said as they walked towards the grand building, 'then let's have fun tonight!'

Harry chuckled, he liked Tracey, she was playful and fun, but despite her winning personality and amazing looks and figure he was in no way attracted to her. _Bloody hell_, Harry realised as they knocked on the door to Daphne's flat, _I'm so fucking gay._

'Harry!' Daphne said happily as she answered the door dressed in jeans and a sparkling top, 'I'm so glad you could make it! Tracey, what are you doing here?'

Tracey faked being shy and said, 'Well, I'm Harry's mystery girlfriend.'

'You're kiddin?' Daphne asked, she was also a very good actress, she laughed, 'come on in you two, everyone else is here.'

Harry smiled at Tracey and slipped his hand in hers as they walked into the flat. The hallway was long and spacious with 3 doors leading off of it and the door to the living room at the far end. Harry suspected the doors went to the bedrooms and the bathroom. Daphne led them into the living room which was about the size of the drawing room in Grimmauld Place and decorated to a high standard in a very wizarding chic way. The room was fairly full and as Harry did a quick scan he recognised some of the people, Draco was here, as was a boy Harry was sure was called Theodore Nott, Blaise Zabini was sitting next to him on the sofa.

'Hey everyone, I'm sure you all know who this is,' Daphne said to her friends, 'and his girlfriend is our very own Tracey!'

'Tracey?' Blaise asked in amusement, 'oh dear I thought you had more taste.'

'What can I say? I like them famous,' Tracey teased, making Harry laugh.

'So Harry, you know Draco,' Daphne said, 'this is Theodore Nott, Blaise Zabini and Sophie Roper,' she did the rounds on the Slytherins and skipped over Susan who Harry knew, 'this is Mandy Brocklehurst, Leanne Fox, Lisa Turpin (_oh shit, _Harry thought as he tried not to catch her eye), oh and this is Stephen Cornfoot, but you met briefly in the pub that time right?'

'Yeah,' Harry agreed with a smile as he tried not to glare at Stephen, he and Neville were casually sitting next to each on one of the 4 large sofas, they weren't being discreet at all as they leant close to each other, their hands centimetres away from each other's. Daphne got Harry and Tracey a drink and then sat down next to Draco, the others all seemed here alone without any dates. Tracey steered Harry to the only free space which was next to Neville and Stephen and they took a seat.

Neville smiled at them, 'So you're the mysterious girlfriend that I've heard so much about,' he said as he shook Tracey's hand.

'That's me,' Tracey said.

Neville chuckled and said, 'I've no idea why he kept you a secret, I'd be flaunting you.'

Tracey laughed, 'I think it's because I was a Slytherin, isn't it babe?'

Harry nodded and played along, 'Yeah, the press would have a field day if they knew I had a Slytherin girlfriend.'

Neville nodded and said, 'Oh yeah, I understand why you're keeping it quiet, secrets safe with me. You've not really formally met Stephen, have you?'

'No,' Harry said, shaking Stephens's hand, 'I've heard a lot about you.'

'All good I hope?' Stephen asked in amusement.

'Most of it,' Neville said cheekily and Harry wanted to hit Stephen because now he was getting a good look at the guy he was even more conscious of how bloody good looking he was. Harry was fairly sure that his sexuality was well-hidden, and he also knew that Neville hid his well. Neither of them _looked _particularly gay, and come to think of it neither did Justin. Stephen on the other hand did, it was just obvious that he was, his hair was perfectly spiked up and the stubble on his face almost unnatural, he was _too _perfect and it was obvious that he groomed himself and used beautifying charms.

'So what is it you do Stephen?' Tracey asked conversationally, holding her wine glass in one hand and Harry's hand in the other.

'I work for the Ministry,' Stephen said, 'in the department of International Magical Co-Operation.'

'Oh,' Tracey said with a nod, 'Sounds very important. I'm working as a barmaid at the moment.'

'So how did you two meet?' Neville asked curiously.

Harry had a lie prepared which he knew Tracey would easily play along with, 'Hermione set us up.'

'I didn't even know you knew Hermione, Tracey,' Neville said with surprise.

'We were never the best of friends, but we talked in the library a lot,' Tracey said with a smile.

Neville laughed and said, 'Typical.'

'Didn't think you went for the intelligent ones Potter,' Draco said as he slid into the tiny gap between Harry and Neville.

'Well you're wrong then Malfoy,' Harry said as he raised an eyebrow, 'all my girlfriends have been intelligent.'

Draco hummed thoughtfully and said, 'I'm resisting making a derogatory remark about your ex-girlfriends.'

'That doesn't sound like you Draco,' Neville said in amusement.

Draco shrugged, 'Daphne told me to be nice,' he admitted, making the others laugh, 'so Tracey, what possessed you to agree to date a Gryffindor?'

'He charmed me,' Tracey said with a smirk, 'Gryffindors have their merits Draco,' she said as she leant back and said, 'I find Gryffindors are more manly than Slytherins…they aren't so bothered about their hair and grooming charms.'

Neville snorted and elbowed Stephen in the ribs, 'Sounds like you should have been a Slytherin,' he remarked.

Stephen made a sarcastic comment and Harry rolled his eyes, wishing the night was over already, he could tell from the look Draco gave him that he had noticed this. As the night went on Harry did actually enjoy himself a little as he circled the room with Tracey and managed to avoid Lisa pretty well considering how little people there were here. Sometime around midnight he ended up sitting on a big comfortable beanbag with Draco.

'How much did you pay her?' Draco asked smoothly.

'What?' Harry asked sharply.

Draco smirked, 'Tracey, how much did you pay her to pretend to be your girlfriend?'

Harry gaped at the former Slytherin, 'I…what…how…how did you-'

'I can spot a gay man when I see one Potter,' Draco whispered in amusement.

Harry frowned, 'How?' he asked stupidly, 'I mean because obviously you're not.'

'Correct, I'm not,' Draco said, 'but Slytherins are mostly Purebloods, and Purebloods have a tendency to indulge in both sexes. I spent enough time in the common room with them to spot a gay man. You don't hide it very well, especially when you're around Longbottom.'

'What's that supposed to mean?' Harry hissed.

'It means you look at him like you want to fuck him,' Draco said with a grin, chuckling as Harry's cheeks flushed bright red, 'don't worry, I don't think anyone else has noticed. I'm just observant.'

'Well, quit observing me,' Harry said weakly as he got to his feet and walked over to Tracey, purposefully kissing her and sitting down next to her. He caught Draco sniggering out of the corner of his eye the next time he looked over. Maybe he wasn't convincing Draco but he seemed to have convinced everyone else.

By the time Harry and Tracey left the party that night the press were there, they were hiding but it was clear they were there. The show now began.

'Come on,' Harry said in amusement as Tracey feigned being tipsy, 'we're getting you to bed.'

'I'm totally fine,' Tracey said as she let Harry hold her up.

Harry laughed and kissed her, it was fake and he felt nothing, but it was just for the cameras after all, as he broke the kiss he wrapped his arms around her and said, 'seriously, you need to get to bed. You'll thank me in the morning when I've got a hangover potion ready for you.'

Tracey chuckled and threw her arms around him, 'Come on then boring, let's go home.'

With a final smile to the girl he spun and they both vanished. When they arrived in Harry's flat they shared a grin.

'Good job,' Harry said happily.

'At your service,' Tracey said with a smirk, 'if the press come to me shall I give them more fuel?'

'Go for it,' Harry agreed, 'you okay to get home?'

'Yeah, I'll be fine,' Tracey said, 'see you Potter,' she added with a grin as she walked out of the door.

Harry felt pretty good about the fact that their plan seemed to have worked as he apparated back to the training centre and gave his late night pass to the security wizard on patrol. By the time he jogged up the stairs and entered his dorm room he realised Neville was home already.

'Hey Harry,' his friend and partner yawned.

'Oh hey Nev,' Harry said with a frown, 'I didn't expect to see you until tomorrow. I thought you'd stay at Stephens.'

'I was too tired,' Neville admitted, 'I just wanted to get back here to a comfy bed. Stephen has one of those modern things that look good but are bloody uncomfortable.'

'Ugh tell me about it,' Harry said, 'Just-' he stopped, realising he nearly said Justin's name, he quickly fixed his mistake, 'just get a normal bed, you know?'

'Exactly,' Neville yawned, 'your girlfriends nice by the way, and pretty.'

'Thanks,' Harry said with a smile.

'Why didn't you stay at her place?' Neville asked curiously as Harry changed and jumped into his bunk.

'She was tired, and we've got an early start tomorrow,' Harry said. It wasn't a complete lie, they had training tomorrow which meant they'd be up at 6am and it was 2am now.

'Night Neville,' Harry mumbled as he was falling asleep.

* * *

As March became April the last training exercise in the simulation room loomed on the recruits. Harry was particularly anxious about it because it was a Search and Rescue, which was how he had broken down in his first ever time in the simulation room.

The two weeks after Daphne's party were amusing, the story made headline bloody news, _**'HARRY POTTERS NEW LOVE?' **_it blared stupidly. It got everyone talking and it stopped all of the awkward questions, exactly what he had wanted. Justin and he had made up, although the Hufflepuff was still annoyed that Harry was keeping their relationship from everyone in his life apart from Ron and Hermione who he kept complaining he hadn't even met yet. To be honest Harry was getting sick of Justin's complaining, when he shut up they enjoyed their time together but the complaining was just doing his head in.

'Can't we just be rubbish on purpose?'

Neville raised an eyebrow at Harry, 'Really?'

'I don't want to be in there first thing on Monday,' Harry whined as he dropped his head onto Neville's shoulder in the study hall, 'if we drop behind to the back we can hold it off till Tuesday afternoon.'

'You realise you'll still have to do it? Don't you?' Neville asked in amusement and disbelief.

'Yeah but it won't seem so bad,' Harry whined.

'Harry, no. We're not losing our place in the ranks just to get to do the simulation room later,' Neville remarked as he scribbled something down on the essay they were working on together.

'Nev,' Harry complained, 'you're such a spoilsport.'

'And your acting like such a woman,' Neville said, raising his eyebrow at his partner.

'Ugh,' Harry said, his head dropping into his hands, 'I'm scared I'm going to relapse into the war again,' he said weakly, 'I don't want to be that way again, I hate feeling so helpless while people I love are getting hurt!'

'People you love?' Neville asked with a frown, 'oh, you mean Ginny.'

'Yeah,' Harry said as if that was what he had meant all along.

'Look Harry,' Neville said, 'we're going to go in there and be amazing, like we always are. You're not going to flashback to anything. If you start to or if you think you will then just grab my arm and squeeze and I'll pull you back from it, like I did in the Chaos simulation. Okay?'

'Okay,' Harry said, taking a breath, 'Thanks Nev.'

'No worries Harry.'

* * *

'Harry, are you going to at least try and eat something?' Susan asked with a frown.

Harry shook his head soundlessly.

'I've never seen him like this,' Daphne said anxiously.

'I have,' Neville said with slight amusement, 'twice. The first time was before his first Quidditch match and the second time was before the 2nd task in the Triwizard Tournament.'

'Is he alright?' Susan asked.

'He'll be fine,' Neville said with a smile, 'watch this trick.'

Susan and Daphne were both intrigued as Neville grabbed Harry's arm firmly, 'Harry, for Merlin's sake, stop being such an idiot! You've fought a 10 foot mountain troll, a three-headed dog, a giant Acromantula, a Basilisk, a hundred Dementors at once, a Hungarian Horntail, Merlin knows how many creatures of the deep, I don't even know how many death eaters and you've fought Voldemort himself 6 bloody times not to mention defeating him for good!'

Susan and Daphne were watching with amusement and amazement as Neville continued, 'Pull yourself out of this pathetic funk! It's a white room with some spells on it to create illusions!'

Harry still didn't say anything.

'And if you don't pull yourself out of this, I'll get them to kick you out of Auror training and replace you with Draco,' Neville remarked, but Harry still didn't speak.

'Fucking hell Harry,' Neville said in frustration, 'what are you? A bloody coward like Severus Snape?!'

'I'm not a coward!' Harry said, pushing himself loudly to his feet, 'come on Neville, let's go.'

'There's the Harry I know!' Neville said with a grin as he put his arm around Harry and they walked from the dining hall, leaving Susan and Daphne sniggering in their wake.

By the time they reached the corridor where the door to the room was Harry had pulled himself together and to those who didn't know him inside out like Neville did, he seemed perfectly calm and collected.

Sumner gave them a polite nod and briefed them, 'Morning Recruits Potter and Longbottom. Today we're sending you to find and bring back a 6 year old girl who was kidnapped last night. She's the daughter of a high ranking Ministry official and we think she was taken to create a blackmail situation as he's in the middle of some important changes within the Ministry. Our intel has told us he has the girl at a derelict manor house in Yorkshire. Find her, bring her back and arrest the kidnapper if possible, if need be use more forceful methods to get the girl.'

'Yes sir,' Harry and Neville said, Harry's heart was racing as the Senior Auror opened the door to the simulation room and said the same words he had the last 5 times they'd gone in, 'good luck.'

Once they were inside the white walls transformed and they were standing on a cold, windy moor outside a large decrepit manor house that reminded Harry of the Riddle House in Little Hangleton. He shivered, was it supposed to remind him of that? Or had the trainers just drawn inspiration from it? Like they had with Tom Riddles diary, and the blood quill that Umbridge had tortured Harry with?

'I can feel the magic coming off of the place,' Neville said quietly, 'there's no knowing how many spells they have protecting it.'

'They? We don't know if it's a they,' Harry said quietly, 'it could just be one person.'

'Let's work on the fact it's more than one person, that way if there is only one person we're pleasantly surprised and if there's more we're prepared,' Neville said sensibly.

'Better to overestimate than underestimate I suppose,' Harry said with a slight smile, 'first task then, getting past the spells. Shall we just use cancelling spells on as many as we know and see how we get on?'

Neville nodded and they got to work as subtly and quietly as possible. They didn't speak as they worked, too busy murmuring incantations and remembering wand movements. It took around half an around to remove the extensive shield charms and the charms that blocked sound. Then they had to remove the stealth sensoring charms that were placed around the place, when this was done Harry and Neville paused and looked at the building. They couldn't feel the buzz of magic anymore.

'Can you think of anything else?' Neville asked cautiously.

'Booby traps,' Harry said as he took a few steps forward, 'but we'll just have to look out for them as we go.'

'I assume we aren't going to just walk in through the front door?' Neville asked sarcastically.

Harry shook his head and pointed to a second floor window that the glass had blown out of. Neville nodded and transfigured a ladder from some wood in the vicinity. Testing it he placed it against the wall, it didn't seem to set any charms off.

Harry motioned with his hands that he would go first, Neville rolled his eyes at this and mouthed, 'Hero,' at his friend.

Harry merely grinned and when he was sure Neville was holding the ladder he put his feet on the first rung and scaled it as fast as he could, he landed gracefully and silently on the wooden floor of the empty room and did a few quick charms to ensure that it was empty. He then held the top of the ladder and Neville climbed it a little shakily, not as comfortable as Harry, his feet landed slightly more heavily on the floor and Harry was glad of the fact he had put a silencing charm on the room.

Harry pointed to himself, the door and then he pointed down, indicating that they should go to the cellar, if there was one. Neville nodded and with their wands at the ready they snuck through the house as silently as they could. The floorboards occasionally creaked, but there was nothing they could do to stop that. It seemed to take forever to walk through the rotting, decayed house to get to the stairs. It was clear the room they eventually walked into had once been a grand entrance hall but it was no longer so. Still leading, Harry made his way down the stairs.

In the entrance hall Neville pointed to a trapdoor that looked like it had been recently used in the far right corner of the room, almost hidden by the large stairs that had clearly once been grand.

They walked towards the trapdoor and Neville slowly pulled it off as Harry stood with his wand at the ready. Nothing happened however.

'Lumos,' Harry whispered, his wand lit up a long thin passageway. He indicated to Neville that they should drop down, and he smirked a little at his own strength at what he did next. Holding onto the sides of the hole Harry lowered himself down so his feet only had to drop a couple of centimetres, agile as always he landed soundlessly.

Neville did something similar, but as he was that little bit taller than Harry his feet reached the ground without him having to drop down. With the light of Harry's wand dimmed slightly so as not to draw attention to them the partners walked along the short tunnel and stopped outside a door at the other end. There were several silencing charms on it.

'Cut the charms, rush in,' Harry whispered into Neville's ear, 'you get to the girl, I'll duel the captor, or captors.'

Neville nodded and they both aimed their wands at the door and muttered, 'Finite Incantatem.'

The barriers broke down and the hum of magic stopped, they looked at each other and nodded, pushing through the door and shouting, 'AURORS! DROP YOUR WANDS!'

Everything happened very fast after that. A lanky, scruffy middle-aged man spun around, his wand trained on Harry and a curse coming towards his head.

'Protego!' Harry shouted, his shield activating seconds before the curse hit it.

Neville rushed over to the little girl bound to the chair in the corner of the room and as he tried to untie her he conjured a shield charm around them to protect them from the duel that was ongoing in the middle of the room.

The duel wasn't difficult, it was an exchange of pretty lethal curses on the kidnapper's part, things like an entrail expelling curse, several blasting curses and a piercing curse which Harry couldn't help but think was put in here deliberately after what he had done to the dragon in the previous simulation. Harry was playing things safe, sending non-lethal stunning spells and disarming spells at the man, trying to capture him alive.

Things turned nasty when the kidnapper used the cruciatus curse which no shield charm protected against. Harry didn't duck fast enough and the curse hit him in the chest. He groaned in agony, wanting to scream but not giving the man that satisfaction, the pain burned, like a fire ripping through his entire body and then he heard a shout.

'STUPEFY!'

The pain stopped, and Harry groggily got to his feet, Neville's wand was still trained on the stupefied kidnapper and the girl in the chair whimpered with fear.

'Thank you,' Harry said, looking into Neville's eyes and hoping he could convey how grateful he was in a glance. It must have worked because Neville nodded and got to his feet. As he bound and arrested the man Harry held the shaking little girl and said, 'Hey sweetheart, everything's going to be alright. You're safe now.'

Neville watched this out of the corner of his eye with curiosity, 'We're done,' he said, looking up and waiting for the room to change back to normal. Harry got to his feet too as the scene disappeared.

They waited until the door opened and when Sumner walked in he had a slight smile on his face as usual, 'Well done Recruits. You have passed team field training,' he said, shaking both of their hands, '96%.'

Neville and Harry shared a smile, they were both happy with that score.

'You lost 4% because you didn't put up any detection charms to cover yourselves when you went into the cellar, you should have done so,' Sumner said, 'but other than that you showed good team work and good initiative.'

'Thank you sir,' Harry and Neville said in unison.

Sumner nodded, 'Potter your individual simulation test is at 0900 hours on Monday the 20th of April, that's next Monday.'

Harry nodded, feeling sick at the thought. He wasn't sure he would be able to do it on his own, without Neville there to remind him that something was real.

'Longbottom, your individual simulation test is at 1400 hours on the same day.'

Neville also nodded, he looked a little pale too.

'You get three chances to pass, you know what happens if you don't manage it,' Sumner said briskly.

'Yes Sir,' Neville and Harry said.

'Good,' Sumner said, 'well hurry up then. You have lectures to attend.'

With a final, 'yes sir', Harry and Neville left the room, glad they had passed team training but both dreading the following Monday when they would have to face their own personalised scenario in the simulation room. Everything sensitive in their file would face them, everything they had ever mentioned to a therapist or Healer. It wasn't going to be easy, but they were both thinking the same thing, _it's not meant to be easy_.

**TBC :)  
**


	12. Birthdays & Babies

**An Unexpected Predicament**

**Chapter 12 - Birthdays and Babies  
**

_**A/N: Actually scratch that, I'm feeling extra generous today. 3 chapters! I hope you are all enjoying this story, I guess Harry/Neville is sort of a niche pairing but it makes a lot of sense to me! :)**_

* * *

'Nev, you busy on Saturday?' Harry asked as he lay in his bed partaking in one of his favourite past-times, studying the Marauders Map.

'Nah,' Neville said, 'Stephens got a treaty in Poland so I'm free. Why?'

'It's my Godsons birthday,' Harry said honestly, 'I mean hes only going to be one, so we're not having a party or anything, but I'm taking him out to Diagon Alley, Andromeda's letting me have the afternoon with him.'

'You have a Godson?' Neville asked in surprise, 'you've never mentioned that before.'

'Force of habit,' Harry said honestly, 'not talking about the people I love to keep them safe…'

'That's…' Neville said, trailing off, 'morbid.'

Harry chuckled and said, 'Yeah, probably. Anyway, I was wondering if you wanted to come with us?'

'Don't you want to spend the time with your Godson?' Neville asked, 'I mean surely you don't see him much.'

'I see him every Sunday, I take him with me to the Weasley's Sunday lunches,' Harry said in amusement.

'Oh,' Neville said, 'well yeah, I'll go. I've nothing better to do, although I am terrible with babies.'

'You'll love Teddy, I guarantee it,' Harry said happily.

Neville stood up from his bunk and leant against it so he could actually see Harry, 'If you don't mind me asking, how do you have a Godson?'

'Well Neville, I know you don't like women,' Harry joked, 'but when a man loves a woman very much he puts-'

'Shut up you arse,' Neville said with a grin, 'you know what I meant.'

'It's kind of a long story,' Harry admitted, moving to the side and saying, 'come up here.'

'If it breaks I'm blaming you,' Neville said as he climbed up and sat at the other end of the bed, the room was so small that both boys could lean against the wall at opposite sides of the bed.

'Whatever,' Harry said nonchalantly, 'You remember Remus Lupin?'

Neville nodded, and Harry said, 'Well he and the Auror Nymphadora Tonks got married at the start of the war. Remus was best friends with my Dad and my Godfather Sirius, so he was sort of like a Father figure to me. When Tonks got pregnant during the war he asked me to be Godfather.'

'And then they died in the final battle,' Neville realised sadly.

Harry nodded with a sigh, 'when Teddy was only a few weeks old.'

'That's horrible,' Neville said.

Harry frowned and said, 'Yeah, but he has his Grandmother, and me. He'll always have me.'

'You really love him, don't you?' Neville asked with a small smile.

'Yeah,' Harry admitted, 'and since I'm never going to have my own children at least I'll always have Teddy.'

'Why will you never have your own children?' Neville asked with a frown.

Harry swore inwardly, he could hardly tell Neville now that he was gay and that was why he couldn't have kids, 'Uh, no reason,' he said awkwardly.

'I won't pry,' Neville said, not pushing the issue, 'whats that?'

'Oh, I've never shown you this, have I?' Harry asked, leaning forward and showing it to Neville, 'it's called the Marauders Map, my Dad, Godfather, Remus and…their other friend, made it while they were at school. It's Hogwarts and everyone inside it.'

'Wicked,' Neville said as he studied the map, 'it shows how they move and everything?'

'Yep,' Harry said, 'and look at that,' he added, pointing to the dot that was labelled 'Ginevra Weasley'. Neville laughed loudly as he realised Ginny was in a broom closet with the Head Boy.

* * *

When Neville met Harry at his London flat for their day out with Teddy Harry realised that his friend and partner had never actually seen his flat before.

'Wow,' Neville said as he walked into the upper floor flat. Harry lived on the top floor of a 4 story building and as such his flat had a lot of sloped roofs but it didn't bother him because he wasn't really tall enough to hit his head off of them. As Neville stared around his flat Harry felt a little uncomfortable. It was all set on one floor and when you walked in the front door you came directly into a large living area. At the fore was a living room with large bay windows, and then there was a kitchen with a bar and a roof light. The layout was very open plan with a spiral staircase leading up to the roof terrace and a corridor leading to the bedroom and bathroom.

'What?' Harry asked self-consciously, 'I thought you were rich? With your parents being Purebloods?'

Neville shrugged and said, 'No, I mean I'm sure the Longbottom family did have money at some point. When my parents died they left me a small inheritance, but my Grandmother used it all trying to keep us going. She can't work because of her age…'

'Oh, alright,' Harry said, feeling guilty, 'well, I mean, I can only afford this place because of my fame, and my parents money. It's not really mine.'

'Stop feeling guilty,' Neville said with a smile, 'it's fine, really.'

Harry was about to say something, but he couldn't because there was a knock on the door. He smiled at Neville and walked to it, opening it and greeting the woman there.

'Andromeda, hey,' Harry said politely.

'Wh…what?'

Harry frowned and turned to Neville who was staring at Andromeda in disbelief, it clicked that he was connecting the dots as to who she was.

'Andromeda, this is my Auror partner Neville,' Harry said, 'Neville, this is Teddy's Grandmother Andromeda Tonks.'

'She…' Neville shook his head and stepped forward, 'I'm so sorry Mrs. Tonks,' he said, 'you look like someone else.'

Andromeda nodded, like she got this a lot and turned to Harry, handing him the child in her arms, 'Everything you need is in the bag Harry. What time are you dropping him back?'

'Around half past 5, if that's alright?' Harry asked, Andromeda nodded, the hint of a smile on her lips, 'I'll enjoy some peace and quiet.'

Harry chuckled and said, 'And so you should,' he added in an undertone, 'sorry about Neville. His parents were tortured to insanity by Bellatrix.'

Andromeda sighed and said, 'Sometimes I wish I had been a Metamorphmagus like my daughter.'

Harry gave her a weak smile and hugged her as best he could with Teddy in his arms. They said goodbye and Andromeda left, leaving Harry to introduce his Godson to Neville.

'Neville, this little rascal is Teddy Remus Lupin, my Godson,' Harry said proudly as he held up the one year old boy, when he first glanced at the little boy his hair had been its preferred mousy brown and his eyes had been their normal hazel brown. However when Teddy saw Neville he chuckled and changed his hair to a darker brown and his eyes to a darker colour too, matching Neville.

'Aw Nev,' Harry said with a grin, 'he likes you!'

'How does he do that?' Neville asked, 'and how doe you know that he like me?'

'He's a Metamorphmagus,' Harry explained, 'when he meets someone he likes he changes to look like them, watch…Teddy, its Uncle Harry…'

Instantly Teddy's eyes changed to the same vivid green as Harry's and his hair to jet black, Harry laughed as they went back to normal and he said to Neville, 'shall we get going then? First stop, Diagon Alley.'

Neville nodded and they went through the fireplace via the floo, Harry with Teddy's bag over his shoulder and the little boy in his arms. When they arrived in the Leaky Cauldron Neville followed Harry through the pub as he darted through quickly to avoid being seen by one of his fans, Neville chuckled. They got outside into the early afternoon sunshine and then they stopped at the start of the alley.

'Need to get his pram out,' Harry said in amusement, 'he can walk, but not very well and it's so busy here I'd rather not risk it.'

Neville nodded and said, 'So are you basically his Dad then?'

Harry frowned as he took the pram from the bag and enlarged it to its normal size, 'I'm not his Dad, but I'm the closest thing he has to one.'

'Then he's a lucky kid,' Neville said with a slight smile as Harry put Teddy into the pram and strapped him in, 'alright, where do you reckon we should take him first?'

'Does he like ice cream?' Neville asked.

Harry laughed and said, 'Hes a small child, of course he likes ice cream.'

Neville chuckled and said, 'Well it's my treat to him, since it's his birthday after all.'

'Don't be silly,' Harry said, as they walked down the alley, Harry pushing Teddy in his pram.

'Come on, let me buy him an ice cream,' Neville said in amusement, Harry chuckled and said, 'fine alright, you can buy him an ice cream, but for my sake please don't make it a chocolate one, he'll get it all down himself.'

'Sure,' Neville said as they sat outside in the sunshine, Harry put the brakes on the pram and pulled Teddy out, bouncing the little boy on his knee, 'vanilla the safest option?'

Harry laughed and said, 'Yeah probably.'

When Neville returned a few minutes later with tubs of vanilla ice cream for them all, Harry left his untouched as he fed Teddy his in small mouthfuls.

'So can he speak yet?' Neville asked, watching Teddy garble nonsense as he happily slopped ice cream down his chin.

'A little,' Harry said, wiping the ice cream from Teddy's face, 'he can say some words, he calls Andromeda Grandmummy,' he chuckled.

'What does he call you?' Neville asked curiously.

'Nothing yet,' Harry said, 'he can say ice cream though, can't you Teddy? What's that you've got?'

'Ice cweam!' Teddy exclaimed loudly, a couple of old witches at the table next to them laughed.

'See? He can say ice cream but he won't say my name,' Harry said, shaking his head in amusement.

'He has good priorities,' Neville teased.

'You seem to be enjoying yourself,' Harry said in amusement, 'going out with your friend and his baby Godson isn't exactly your normal fun day out.'

Neville smiled ruefully, 'I always wanted a younger sibling, and I never got one,' he said a little sadly, 'I do like babies, although they don't tend to like me. It makes me sad knowing I'll never have my own.'

'You can share Teddy,' Harry said with a smile to his partner, 'he's got plenty of love to go around, don't you Ted?'

The boy garbled some nonsense, 'Who's that Teddy?' Harry asked in a ridiculous baby voice, 'is that Uncle Neville? Is that your Uncle Nev?'

Teddy studied Neville with interest and said loudly, 'Nev! Nev! Nev!'

Neville grinned and said, 'He said my name!'

'He won't even say mine, typical!' Harry exclaimed in exasperation and amusement.

'Say Harry, Teddy,' Neville said to the baby, 'can you say Harry?'

Teddy looked inquisitively at Harry and said very loudly and clearly, 'Dad!'

Harry laughed and shook his head, 'No Teddy, _Harry_.'

Teddy frowned, 'Dad!'

'Harry,' Harry said slowly.

'Dad!' Teddy shouted in protest.

Neville was by this point in fits of laughter as he watched the exchange, 'You might as well give up, I don't think he's going to change his mind.'

Harry chuckled and said, 'I just feel bad, I don't want him to grow up thinking I'm his Dad. I'm not, his Dad died fighting for him to have a safer world to live him.'

'And his Godfather created that world for him,' Neville said softly, 'he can have more than one Father Harry.'

Harry smiled and said, 'Yeah, I guess,' he looked down at Teddy who chose that moment to knock his ice cream off the table onto Harry's trousers.

'Teddy!' he scolded as the boy laughed, 'can you hold him Neville?'

Neville was laughing as he took the boy from Harry while he cleaned himself up, 'I think that's our cue to go.'

'Where are we going?' Neville asked as Harry put Teddy back into the pram

'I thought we could just go for a walk along the alley,' Harry said honestly, 'I need to buy Teddy a birthday present.'

They set out, getting some strange looks as Teddy shouted things like 'Dad!' and 'Nev!' periodically.

It was nice to see the businesses in the alley thriving again. Ollivander's was back on its feet, although after the war he had been damaged, mentally and physically, and had needed to hire an apprentice. Fortescues was back to normal, being run by one of the man's nephews. They hopped into Quality Quidditch Supplies so that Harry could buy his Godson his birthday present. Neville watched with amusement and interest as Harry lifted the boy from the pram and approached a sales person.

'Hi there, I'm looking at buying my Godson his first broom,' Harry said to the man who instantly recognised him.

'Oh, of course Mr. Potter!' he said, eager to please the chosen one, 'would you like a junior broom then?'

'Yes,' Harry said, 'a basic one that only flies 2 or 3 feet off the ground, and I don't want anything too fast in case he hurts himself.'

'Of course, yes,' the man said as he nodded vigorously, 'we have a junior firebolt that will do the job? It flies at a maximum of 2 and a half feet and-'

Neville stopped listening at that point to the technical stuff, 10 minutes later Harry had bought the broomstick and it was shrunken and in the bag and Teddy was back in the pram. It was then as they walked down the alley that they bumped into someone that Harry knew very well.

'Hey Harry,' Justin said with a smile, 'hey Neville.'

Neville smiled back and said, 'Hey Justin.'

'What are you guys up to?' Justin asked them.

Harry felt very awkwardly, 'Oh just on our day off, taking my Godson out for his birthday.'

'I don't envy you,' Justin said as he looked to the pram, 'I never did like kids much.'

Harry frowned and said, 'Yeah, so what are you up to?'

It was all very awkward and Harry was hoping that Neville hadn't noticed.

'Just picking up some books, I'm negotiating a treaty with Vampires next week,' Justin said simply.

'Cool, well we best be off Justin. We're in a bit of a hurry,' Harry said, brushing Justin off slightly.

'Right, yeah, nice seeing you,' Justin said with a forced smile, he continued on his way down the alley as Neville and Harry made their way back to the Leaky Cauldron.

'I didn't even know you and Justin knew each other,' Neville said to Harry as they walked.

Harry shrugged, 'Well we went to school together, and he was in the DA.'

'It seemed like you knew each other a bit better than that,' Neville said, being nosy.

Harry tried to look casual as he said, 'Well I've seen him around a lot when I was doing Ministry stuff, and he's friends with Hermione so…'

Neville nodded and said, 'Okay fair enough. Why were you so bothered about the fact I kissed him at Hannah's party then?'

'I don't know,' Harry admitted with a sigh, 'I told you, I just didn't think it was a cool thing to do, kiss someone when you're in a relationship. Call me old fashioned if you want.'

'Being old fashioned isn't always a bad thing,' Neville said with a slight smile, 'are we heading back already?'

'Nah, I'm taking Teddy to the Burrow, the Weasley's have presents for him,' Harry said.

'Oh, right, well I'll just meet you back at the training centre then?' Neville asked.

Harry frowned as they reached the Leaky Cauldron, 'Don't you want to come?'

'It's not really my place, is it?' Neville asked awkwardly, 'I mean, it's your family.'

'And your one of my best friends Neville,' Harry said as he took Teddy from the pram and handed him to Neville so he could shrink it and put it back in the bag, 'you'll be welcome there.'

Neville still looked unsure, but as Harry took his Godson back he smiled and said, 'Plus Mrs. Weasley always makes too much food.'

'Are you sure?' Neville asked.

'Course I'm sure,' Harry said, and with that they rushed through the pub and floo-ed to the Burrow. He and Teddy emerged first into the kitchen and Neville followed, feeling and looking a little awkward.

Harry beamed at Mrs. Weasley, 'Hey Mrs. Weasley, I brought Neville with me today, I hope you don't mind. We were just out in Diagon Alley with Teddy.'

'Of course I don't mind.' Mrs. Weasley said as she hugged Neville and asked, 'How is your Grandmother dear?'

'She's fine thanks,' Neville said, feeling like he was being made at home already, 'still as grumpy as ever.'

Molly laughed at this and turned to Harry who was holding Teddy, 'and there's the birthday boy.'

'The spoiled birthday boy,' Harry said with a grin, 'so far he's had ice cream and I bought him his first broomstick. I was going to take him out to the orchard if the weather stays nice.'

'That's a lovely idea,' Mrs. Weasley said, 'I thought we could eat outside since the whole family will be here today, I made a chocolate cake, I hope that's alright?'

'CHOCWATE!'

'I'm pretty sure that's a yes,' Harry said through his laughter.

Molly chuckled and said, 'everyone's out in the garden dear.'

'Come on,' Harry said to Neville, leading him out the back door into the garden where a couple of tables were laid out and the entire Weasley clan were milling around, everyone apart from Ginny of course who was still at Hogwarts. He couldn't see Arthur and assumed he was probably in the shed, but Bill and Fleur were both here, Fleur now very pregnant and due in about 3 weeks. Charlie had started coming back every weekend he could after Fred had died, he had realised just how important his family were to him, so he was here today too. Percy and his girlfriend Audrey were milling around, as was George who was putting on a false pretence that he was fine, but everyone could see through it. When Harry walked into the garden with Teddy in his arms and Neville by his side Ron and Hermione shared an amused smile as they approached them.

'Hey Neville,' Ron said with a smile.

Hermione hugged him, 'It's been a while since I've seen you,' she said.

Teddy then began to shout again, 'Nev! Nev! NEV!'

Hermione raised an eyebrow at this, 'Wow, hes a fast learner.'

'It's amazing isn't it?' Neville asked with a grin, 'I only met him today.'

'And he still said Neville's name before mine,' Harry grumbled.

Neville laughed and said, 'Watch his new trick, who's that Teddy?' he asked the boy, pointing at Harry.

'Dad!' Teddy exclaimed, causing Ron to burst out laughing and Hermione to smile, 'aw, that's sweet.'

'Whats he spilled all down himself?' Molly asked fussily as she walked into the garden.

'Ice cream,' Harry said in amusement, 'blame Neville, it was his present to Teddy.'

Molly tutted and cleaned Teddy up, and Hermione said, 'So are you two-'

Harry shook his head minutely and Hermione caught herself, changing what she was going to say to, 'on leave today?'

'Yeah, as usual with our Saturday afternoons,' Neville said with a smile, 'I had nothing better to do and I love kids.'

Harry chuckled and said, 'And Teddy loves you just as much, don't you Ted?'

'Nev!' Teddy shouted, reaching his arms out to the man.

Harry laughed and handed Neville the baby just as lunch was brought out by Mrs. Weasley. As they all sat down Harry and Neville with Teddy in a high chair between them, Harry cursed himself. He was _with _Justin, but today with Neville…he'd enjoyed himself more than he had in a very long time and he felt so damn guilty for that. Justin hated kids, Neville loved them, he loved Teddy, almost as much as Harry himself loved that little boy. As they took turns feeding him Harry realised he wanted this, he wanted Neville to be there, to help him look after Teddy, to help him through life. For the first time he really wished he could have taken the chance while it was there, before Neville had gotten back together with Stephen.

Hermione saw the look of longing and sighed, squeezing his hand under the table as she was sitting on his other side. They all talked and laughed, made small talk about work and the weather and then the cake was brought out and everybody sang and Teddy squealed.

When his slice of cake was put in front of him in his high chair he dived in, smearing it across his face, on his arms and even in his hair, Harry sighed in exasperation as the others laughed at the boy. Their precious time on their afternoon leave was dwindling as Harry put the toddler on the broom and watched him laugh like mad as he zoomed around the garden on the thing, he saw himself as he watched Teddy, remembering the picture his Mother had sent to Sirius before she had died.

'You alright mate?'

Harry jumped and pulled himself out of his thoughts as Charlie walked up behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

'Yeah, fine Charlie,' Harry lied.

'I saw the look earlier, at Longbottom,' Charlie disclosed, the others were all too far away to hear.

Harry frowned, 'What do you mean?'

'Don't play dumb Harry,' Charlie said with a smile, 'I saw the look, I know it quite well myself.'

'Really?' Harry asked in surprise.

Charlie nodded, 'Mum might tell everyone I've not settled down because I prefer dragons to humans,' he said with a smirk, 'but then again she's hardly going to run around telling everyone the _real _reason.'

'Well kudos on keeping it quiet,' Harry said in amusement, 'I would never have guessed. You being a big tough, dragon handler and all.'

Charlie smirked and said, 'Exactly, and you and Longbottom have the same advantage, nobody will suspect two Aurors after all. Although, I've known you for a good few years now and I only realised today when I saw that look.'

Harry chuckled sheepishly and said, 'Well, that's probably because I've only recently worked it out myself.'

Charlie laughed loudly and said, 'Well, it's clear from the way you look at Longbottom that there's something going on in that complicated head of yours. I'd advise you to take your chance while you've got it. I didn't and it's one of the biggest regrets of my life.'

Harry sighed and glanced back to Teddy to check he was okay, 'It's not that simple Charlie,' he said, 'he's seeing someone.'

'Trust me, from the way he looks at you, whoever hes seeing doesn't measure up to how he feels about you,' Charlie said, 'that's the thing about you Aurors, you're so good at keeping things from baddies under pressure, but you can't keep things from the people you love.'

Harry smiled slightly and said, 'Well I'm hardly going to be a home wrecker now, am I? Saint Potter as they call me.'

'You're only a home wrecker if it's a happy home,' Charlie said with a smirk, 'think on that one Harry.'

Harry did ponder this as Charlie walked away, he hadn't even thought about the fact that Stephen might not be exactly what Neville wanted, they _had _broken up once after all. Neville seemed happy, but when Harry looked closer he realised there was signs that maybe they weren't a perfect couple, that Neville wasn't entirely happy. And what had Charlie meant about Neville returning his feelings?

Before Harry could contemplate this anymore he was literally knocked off his feet, 'oomf!' he said as he fell rather ungracefully to the ground.

'You okay?' a slightly concerned voice said. Harry nodded as Neville's hand shot out to help him up.

'Fine, should have seen that coming,' Harry said as he grabbed Teddy from the broomstick and said, 'I think that's quite enough for today.'

They said goodbye to the Weasley's and went back to Harry's flat, he left Neville there as he floo-ed to Andromeda's house to drop Teddy off, when he came back 10 minutes later and poured out firewhiskey for he and Neville, Harry couldn't stop himself. He had to ask his partner the question that Charlie had gotten him thinking about.

'Neville, are you and Stephen happy together?' Harry blurted out.

Neville frowned, 'Where did that come from?'

Harry shrugged and said, 'I just want to know that you're happy, you've seemed a little off this past week.'

Neville sighed at the question and replied, 'We're not unhappy,' he reasoned, 'but at the same time it's not the passion and the buzz of true love, cheesy as it sounds.'

'I wouldn't know,' Harry admitted, 'I've never really loved anyone, in a romantic sense.'

'Well Stephen and I work well together, and we make each other laugh but our relationship lacks the moments that take your breath away,' Neville admitted honestly, 'like the kisses that hold so much meaning you can't breathe…or the things that aren't even funny that you laugh at for days.'

'I think you've been reading too many romance novels,' Harry remarked in amusement.

'Or maybe I just haven't found the right person yet,' Neville said, getting to his feet and saying, 'we should probably head back, its 10 to 6.'

'Yeah,' Harry said with a sigh as he got to his feet too, they left the flat silently, then apparated back to the training centre.

**TBC :)**


	13. Our Own Personal Hell

**An Unexpected Predicament**

**Chapter 13 - Our Own Personal Hell  
**

When Harry knocked on the door of Justin's flat after their awkward meeting in Diagon Alley, he could tell before his boyfriend answered the door that he was going to be angry with him.

As suspected when Justin did open the door he shot Harry a nasty glare and said, 'What are you doing here Potter?'

'Uh, I came here to see my boyfriend,' Harry said rather stupidly.

Justin glowered, 'Really? I thought that was Neville, since he was the one you were on a date with a yesterday.'

'It wasn't a date,' Harry said as he rolled his eyes, 'and can we talk about this inside please?'

'Of course Harry Potter wants to talk about things inside. Merlin forbid he and his boyfriend get caught again,' Justin said bitterly, 'oh wait, that was his _other _boyfriend.'

'Fucking hell Justin,' Harry swore loudly, 'I thought Hufflepuffs were meant to be loyal?'

'I thought Gryffindors were meant to be brave but you won't tell anyone about us!' Justin remarked angrily.

Harry groaned in frustration, 'Stop being such a jealous bastard! Neville's just my friend!'

'I thought he was your partner,' Justin said in a pathetic whiny voice, 'and partners do _everything _together.'

'For fucks sake stop being an immature tosser and let me in so we can talk about this properly!' Harry said angrily, his glare burning into Justin's eyes.

'Fine!' Justin snapped, pulling the door open further, 'come in!'

Harry walked into the flat silently, and Justin shut the door with a loud snap.

'Whats really wrong Justin?' Harry asked quietly, 'this isn't about Neville.'

'I can't take it anymore,' Justin admitted, 'I'm sick of being Harry Potters dirty little secret.'

'A lot of people would like the mystery of it all,' Harry said, a tiny smile slipping onto his face.

'Stop that.'

'Stop what?' Harry asked innocently.

'Stop trying to make me laugh when I'm trying to be mad at you,' Justin said with a feeble glare.

'So you admit that you're only trying to be mad now?' Harry asked in amusement.

'You're such a sly git sometimes,' Justin said a little snarkily, but the anger had ebbed away now.

'Look Justin, I know it's not ideal,' Harry said honestly as he walked closer to the man now that he was fairly certain he wouldn't get punched, 'but while we have to keep it secret, we might as well have fun with it.'

Justin raised an eyebrow at him, 'What are you suggesting?'

'I'm suggesting you enjoy being someone's dirty little secret, it's not every day it happens after all,' Harry said with a grin.

Justin eyed Harry suspiciously and Harry said, 'Can I kiss you yet?'

'You think a kiss is going to make up for the fact you won't go public about us?' Justin asked as Harry walked closer to him, leaving centimetres between their lips and bodies.

'I hadn't told you where the kiss was going to lead yet,' Harry whispered, his breath warm against Justin's lips. In seconds they had crashed their mouths together, taking their frustration out in a more fun way than screaming and shouting at each other. They had never gone the full way yet, they had gotten close a few times and done practically everything leading up to it, but Harry had chickened out every time Justin mentioned taking things further. As he let himself get lost in the kiss and let his worries and thoughts about Neville and everything else slip from his head Harry didn't care about anything apart from Justin in that moment so when he broke the kiss and suggested the bedroom Harry didn't question anything.

He was familiar with Justin's bedroom, but he wasn't familiar with the feeling he got there that day. For the first time in a while he didn't feel scared, just exhilarated and excited.

'You know, it was kind of hot earlier, when you called me Potter,' Harry said with a grin as Justin pushed him onto the bed, Harry had always expected to be in control in situations like these, but he was happy to let Justin lead.

'Really?' Justin asked with a smirk, 'Potter,' he added with a grin as his lips found Harry's once more.

Breaking the kiss Harry made a split-decision and said, 'I'm ready.'

'You're serious?' Justin asked in disbelief.

'Totally serious,' Harry said with a grin, 'let's do it.'

* * *

When Harry walked into his dorm with a huge grin on his face later that Sunday Neville looked at him suspiciously, 'Hey,' he said.

'Hey!' Harry said happily, dropping onto Neville's bed.

'Good day?' Neville asked with slight amusement.

'_Great _day,' Harry said, still beaming.

'Why exactly?' Neville asked.

'Just good,' Harry said, 'just a good day to feel good about the world, and stuff.'

'Are you drunk?' Neville asked with a snigger.

'Nah,' Harry said, leaning against the wall.

'Then you got laid,' Neville said simply.

Harry shot his partner a grin, 'Maybe.'

'That's as good as a yes,' Neville said as he chuckled, 'I can't believe it took you that long, I mean you're the chosen one, and she was all over you at Daphne's.'

'I'm a gentleman Neville,' Harry said simply.

Neville snorted and said, 'Then you're a rare breed.'

Harry merely chuckled and Neville remarked, 'I doubt it was your first time, with you being the golden chosen boy and all that.'

'No, it wasn't,' Harry agreed.

'So who was your first then, Cho?' Neville asked.

'I was only 15 when I dated Cho,' Harry said with a raised eyebrow.

'So Ginny then,' Neville said in amusement.

Harry nodded, 'Before the war, and a couple of times after,' he said thoughtfully, 'although the most interesting had to be the morning of Bill and Fleur's wedding…' he trailed off as if remembering a fond, but amusing memory.

Neville chuckled, 'So you've only ever slept with the two of them then?'

'Yep,' Harry said, 'what about you?'

Neville smiled, 'Same as you, 2 people, that's it.'

'Do I want to know who the first was?' Harry asked, knowing the second was obviously Stephen.

Neville smiled slightly and said, 'Hannah.'

Harry frowned, 'But…she's a woman.'

'How do you think I figured out I was gay Harry?' Neville asked in amusement, 'honestly, sometimes you can be so clueless.'

'You sound like Hermione,' Harry said with a smirk.

'Merlin forbid,' Neville muttered and as they both laughed the topic of the conversation thankfully moved away from their sex lives.

* * *

When Harry and Neville walked into the dining hall on Monday morning they got some strange looks from other people in the room, but they ignored it and walked to their usual table where Susan and Daphne were already waiting for them.

'Have you seen the Prophet this morning?' Susan asked anxiously.

'No,' Harry and Neville answered in unison.

'Why?' Neville asked curiously.

Daphne bit her lip and slid their paper across the table, 'Read the front page.'

Harry and Neville looked down at the front page, both inwardly cursing at what they saw there.

'_**THE 'GOLDEN' BOY-WHO-LIVEDS DIRTY SECRET?'**_

A large photograph of Harry and Neville eating ice cream with Teddy was emblazoned on the front page and the article was particularly frustrating.

'_Our well-loved saviour and war hero, Harry Potter, was spotted on Saturday in Diagon Alley, sharing an ice cream with none other than fellow war hero and trainee Auror partner, Neville Longbottom. The pair ate ice cream with Mr. Potter's orphaned Godson to celebrate his 1__st__ birthday, and they seemed very comfortable in each other's presence.'_

'Of course we're comfortable!' Neville exclaimed, 'we're friends!'

'_Was his recent break up with fellow war hero, Ginevra Weasley, related to his newfound companionship with Mr. Longbottom? Could our chosen one be hiding more than he lets on? Is there more to this relationship than friendship? After all Mr. Potter and Mr. Longbottom have been through many trials together during the war, and must be incredibly close as trainee Auror partners are required by the rules to share a dormitory. _

_If our speculations are true, how will the wizarding world react to the news that our heroic chosen one isn't all he seems?'_

'It's not true, is it?' Susan asked as Neville and Harry fumed.

'Of course it's not true,' Daphne said, covering up for Harry, he appreciated it.

'I can't believe they're doing this,' Neville hissed angrily, 'I thought after we won the fucking war for them they would leave us alone!'

'They'll never leave us alone,' Harry said quietly.

Neville sighed in frustration and said, 'And I mean the whole article is speculating about you Harry, what about me then? Do they just assume on autopilot I'm gay?'

'Neville, they're vultures,' Harry said, 'don't let it get you so mad.'

'You know it's not true, and we know that,' Susan said gently, 'who cares what everyone else thinks?'

'Sumner,' Harry groaned, 'he'll call us in to talk about it. If he thinks it's true he might split us up.'

'Well he won't!' Neville snapped as he got to his feet, 'because it's not fucking true! And now I'm going to have to write to my partner about this to clear things up,' he left the room angrily.

Harry's eyes flashed, 'Shit,' he realised, 'I need to tell Justin.'

'Justin?' Susan asked, pulling Harry back down into his seat as he tried to stand up.

'Justine,' Harry said quickly, 'I said Justine.'

'You don't know anyone called Justine, and your girlfriend is called Tracey,' Susan said, 'you said Justin. Is it true Harry, you are…'

Harry groaned and looked around, he gave her a small nod, because what else could he do? He could hardly get out of it now.

'And you and Justin?' Susan asked quietly, 'Finch-Fletchley?'

Harry nodded once more, she turned to Daphne, 'did you know?'

'Not about Justin, but the rest, yeah,' Daphne said, 'he told me the night you two went to Hannah's party.'

'I assume that's why you were so pissed that Neville kissed him,' Susan said in amusement.

'Well, yeah,' Harry said as if it were obvious.

'So you kept it quiet because you knew something like that would happen,' Daphne said in a whisper, Harry nodded and said, 'I knew the press wouldn't take it well'.

'But it's not true about Nev?' Susan asked, and Harry shook his head, 'ironically enough we both are which you two already know of course, but we don't have feelings for each other.'

That last part was such a blatant lie, Susan didn't notice but he was fairly certain that Daphne did, 'Please don't mention it to Neville, I don't want to tell him just yet.'

'No, of course not,' Susan said, 'I won't tell a soul,' Harry sighed in relief, he actually believed her.

* * *

Harry and Neville found it very awkward when they were both in the dorm room before training began that morning. Both writing letters to their respective partners to calm the situation down.

'I mean, why would they think that?' Neville asked as he sent his letter off with Shakespeare, 'it just doesn't make any sense…we were having ice cream with your Godson. We weren't making out in the middle of Diagon Alley.'

'It's a jibe,' Harry said as he finished his apologetic letter to Justin, 'Rita Skeeter wrote that article, and I think you know as well as I do that she hates me. Anything to ruin my reputation or turn my friends against me.'

'It hasn't turned me against you Harry,' Neville said with a frown, 'you're my best friend, don't be an idiot.'

Harry smiled slightly as he rolled up his letter, but before he could say anything the door opened and Sumner walked in looking very serious.

'Ah, sir. I assume you aren't here to do a spot check,' Harry said sarcastically.

'Potter, you know exactly why I'm here,' Sumner said firmly.

'It's not true Sir,' Harry said, in answer to his question, 'Neville and I have been friends for a long time. We really were just taking my Godson out for his birthday, nothing more. We're both attached, to other people.'

Neville nodded and added, 'the woman who wrote that article has a grudge against Harry sir, it was meant as a dig at him.'

'Alright,' Sumner said with narrowed eyes, 'I believe you. However I suggest you try not to be seen in public together until this blows over.'

'Yes sir,' Harry and Neville said in unison.

'Good, I expect to see you both later for simulation,' Sumner said, leaving the room.

'Shit, I'd forgotten that was today,' Harry said, groaning and letting his head drop onto the bed.

'Me too,' Neville admitted, he placed his hand on Harry's shoulder and said, 'don't worry, I'm sure you'll do fine.'

'I don't know,' Harry admitted sheepishly, 'when we go in together I've got you there to remind me something is real…on my own I don't have that.'

Neville smiled and said, 'I have faith in you, just like you had faith in me.'

Harry chuckled and said, 'Yeah, maybe I should take my own advice.'

* * *

Harry was up first, and when he found himself outside the simulation room not much later that morning he broke out into a nervous sweat and felt sick to his stomach as Sumner strolled towards him without a care in the world.

'Morning Recruit Potter,' Sumner said politely, 'today to gain a pass you need to go into the simulation room unprepared and deal with the situation as you see fit. When you've done the correct thing you'll find yourself back in the white room. If you fail you'll have to resit next week.'

'Yes sir,' Harry said weakly.

'Good luck,' Sumner said, offering Harry a small smile and opening the door.

Harry walked in and the scene materialised right away, surprise surprise, it was a hostage scenario again by the looks of it. He was in Malfoy Manor once more, the entrance hall this time rather than the drawing room. Ahead of him he saw Susan lying dead on the stairs, he assumed it would all play out similarly to the last one, to test him, to make sure he was over his PTSD, he should have seen it coming really.

Instinctively Harry knew where to go, if this was like last time, Lucius Malfoy would be in the cellar. He walked slowly by Susan's body on the stairs into the drawing room where the corridor to the cellar was. The smell that attacked his nostrils was so disgustingly familiar that Harry heaved. The smell was putrid, like rotting flesh and when Harry looked up at the scene in front of him he did throw up.

Lining the drawing room, creating a pathway to the cellar stairs were the bodies of everybody he loved. The Weasley's, each and every one of them, Hermione, Hagrid, Professor McGonagall, Daphne, Susan, Luna, Andromeda, and to top off the disgusting nature of the whole thing, Teddy. Harry threw up the entire contents of his stomach as he walked through the bodies towards the stairs. This was a message, but it was also his worst nightmare, losing everyone he loved and being unable to save them.

He already knew what awaited him in the cellar by the time he reached the dark, narrow stairs. Everyone he cared about was lined up in this room, everyone but one…Neville.

Harry took a deep breath, trying to keep his wand hand steady as he silently descended the stairs. He waited for a moment outside the cellar door before bursting in, his wand out and his eyes skimming the room.

There were two people here. One of them was Lucius Malfoy, who was leaning on a pillar as if he was waiting for Harry, the other was Neville, and Harry thought he might throw up again when he saw the state that Lucius had Neville in.

His friend and partner was tied to a chair and was beaten and bruised. One of his eyes was so swollen up he couldn't see out of it and his face was covered in cuts and scrapes.

'Neville,' Harry breathed when he saw his friend.

'Ah Mr. Potter,' Lucius said smoothly, 'I've been expecting you.'

'What have you done to him?' Harry asked angrily, his wand trained on Lucius's chest.

'Nothing,' Lucius said with a smirk, 'we just had a little conversation.'

'What have you done to him Lucius?' Harry hissed, his hand shaking.

'Nothing compared to what I _will_ do to him,' Lucius said, an evil grin flitting across his face, 'are you aware Mr. Potter, of a device that can transfer the mind of any person, dead or alive, into the body of another?'

Harry frowned, 'No such thing exists.'

'Oh but that's where you're wrong,' Lucius said, pacing the floor of the cellar, his black robes swishing back and forth. Harry caught Neville's eye, he looked terrified and desperate but clearly couldn't speak.

'While travelling in Transylvania, I found a rather interesting ancient dark magic artefact,' he said smoothly, 'it is similar to a pensieve you see Mr. Potter. It sucks up all the person's memories, creating an almost perfect clone of that person…but it needs a host.'

Harry's throat was dry, and his face draining of colour.

'I think it's time the dark lord got another chance to kill you, don't you think Mr. Potter?' Lucius asked, his eyes flashing.

'Avada-'

Before Harry could finish his spell Lucius disarmed him and pushed him back against the wall, with magical ties holding him there, 'You can't kill me Potter,' he said with a strange laugh as he pulled an item from a black box which looked similar to the locket of Slytherin. He opened it to revealing a glimmering pensieve like surface that didn't move, and then from another box he pulled out a pensieve.

Harry's eyes flickered between Lucius and Neville, who looked terrified. Lucius poured the memories from the pensieve into the locket which became a brighter shade of blue as it filled up. When he was finished he held it up proudly and smiled at Harry, 'I'm feeling generous Mr. Potter so I will let you and Mr. Longbottom say your goodbyes.'

The moment Lucius took the silencing charm off of Neville he yelled, 'don't let him get to you Harry! Don't let him come back! Just kill me! Just do it!'

'I'm bored already,' Lucius drawled as he put the locket over Neville's head.

'NO!' Harry shouted as it connected with Neville's bare skin, he had no top on and dark slash marks covering his body.

The moment the locket connected something began to happen, his cuts and bruises healed, restoring him to normalcy once more and he rose to his feet, looking down at himself with a very un-Neville like grin.

'Neville?' Harry whimpered pathetically.

'No,' Neville said in his voice, but in a darker, smoother tone of voice than he normally used, 'Neville Longbottom exists no more. This body is mine.'

'It's not yours!' Harry screamed irrationally, 'he will never be yours!'

'How sweet,' Neville/Voldemort drawled, 'and utterly pathetic Potter. This host actually means something to you,' he laughed, high-pitched and so un-Neville once more, 'I did always say that love was your weakness Potter, didn't I Lucius?'

'Indeed my lord,' Lucius said with a nod.

Hearing the words of Lord Voldemort come from the mouth of Neville was already starting to make Harry shake as he fought the relapses that would inevitably come.

'He'll fight this,' Harry said weakly, 'he won't let you do this.'

'He can't fight me you fool!' Voldemort snapped, Neville's face contorting in rage.

'Yes he can!' Harry fought back, his glare and his hatred both burning so strong towards Voldemort, but then…those eyes he was glaring at, they were Neville's eyes. Neville's kind, happy, eyes, and they burning with a hatred Harry had never seen there. It scared him, was Neville really gone? Or was he inside there somewhere?

Voldemort laughed once more and drew Neville's wand on Harry, 'Let him down Lucius, I want him to fight his best friend, I want him to die fighting.'

'Yes my lord,' Lucius said, cutting Harry's ties and throwing his wand back to him. The moment he was up from the hard floor he threw a stunning charm at Voldemort.

'Stupefy?' Voldemort laughed loudly, 'oh my, you really do care about this one. How very _nice_, I think I may throw up.'

As the duel got more intense Harry stuck to non-lethal and defensive spells only, too afraid to hurt Neville and be responsible for killing him. He ignored Voldemort's comments, but then something happened, he fell to the ground, screaming, and when he got up he was frowning and looking around anxiously.

'H…Harry?'

'Neville?' Harry asked in a whisper, could it really be him?

'H…Harry…what's happening?' Neville asked weakly, pushing himself from the ground, 'where are we?'

Harry narrowed his eyes at the man, 'Neville…is that really you?'

'Who else would I be?' Neville asked, looking well and truly confused.

'Are you okay?' Harry asked, not edging any closer to Neville just in case.

'I don't know…I don't remember much,' Neville said, and Harry had to force himself to remember that he was in a room, this wasn't real, it was just a room.

'Right,' Harry said slowly, 'Neville, you've studied it as much as I have…what row are my parents in…in the photograph of the Order of the Phoenix?'

'Harry, I'm a bit disorientated right now,' Neville said with a sigh, 'I don't really remember.'

'Answer the question!' Harry shouted, his wand trained on Neville and his hand shaking once more.

'Uh, the back row, behind my parents,' Neville answered.

'Stop playing games with me Voldemort! They're in the front row, in front of Neville's parents!' Harry roared.

In seconds Voldemort was back, no longer pretending to be Neville, 'Oh, very good Potter. What a clever young man you are,' he coo-ed.

'SHUT UP!' Harry roared, and his eyes snapped shut, snapping back to the graveyard, then the image merged to become the fight at the end of his 5th year.

_I have faith in you Harry, I have faith in you. _

Neville's voice echoed in his head and he pried open his eyes, fighting harder than before in the duel against Voldemort. The necklace on his chest throbbed like a heart, it was how he was using Neville and if it was severed it might make him leave, but it could also kill Neville or leave him with extreme brain damage. Harry had two choices, kill him or try and save him but ultimately kill him anyway.

He decided to risk it. It took him a while to figure out what to do, he knew he needed to sever or destroy the locket, but if it wasn't a horcrux then how? Did it have to be killed with powerful magic or could it be killed in an ordinary way? He took a deep breath and tried his first idea, he was going to try and cut it off, but there was only one way he could think of to do that without killing Neville, and for it to work he needed him to be facing the other direction. Breaking the duel code Harry threw up a shield charm and shot a killing curse past Neville's head to Lucius Malfoy. It hit him square in the chest and as desired Voldemort spun around, his shield charm flickering for a split second, but that was enough.

'Diffindo!' Harry's hand had stopped shaking, and his spell hit its target, it sliced the locket off of Neville's neck, unfortunately cutting Neville at the same time. As his friend fell to the ground unconscious and losing a lot of blood Harry aimed his wand at the locket and released fiendfyre to destroy it.

'Neville!' Harry shouted, rushing forward and getting burned slightly as he grabbed Neville and pulled him into the secret passageway out of the Manor. The stone pulled back across, blocking out the fire and the smoke.

'Ennervate!'

Nothing happened, but Neville was still alive, Harry could feel his breath and see his heart beating, 'Neville! Neville, wake up please!' Harry begged, trying to slow the bleeding from Neville's neck wound down. It worked, and just like that Harry's surroundings vanished and Neville vanished, Harry got to his feet shakily as the door to the room opened and Sumner walked in.

'Well Recruit Potter, that was interesting, to say the least,' Sumner began, crossing his arms and surveying Harry.

'I've failed, haven't I?' Harry asked weakly.

'Why do you think that?' Sumner asked.

Harry shrugged and said, 'I killed Neville.'

'No,' Sumner corrected, 'had that happened in reality…well, I can tell you the ending if you like?'

Harry nodded silently.

'Longbottom would have lived, but he would never have regained feeling below his shoulders. He would have spent the rest of his life in bed being cared for,' Sumner admitted, 'and you…according to our personality tests would have always carried the guilt with you, leading you to alcoholism.'

'So I've definitely failed then?' Harry asked miserably.

'Potter, there were two things you could have done in that simulation. Killing Longbottom and Voldemort with him, would have gotten you a fail. You did the only thing you could do, saving his life at the risk of making it difficult, and because of that you pass,' Sumner said, a slight smile coming to his lips, 'and you are officially relieved of meetings with Matron Carson.'

'Oh,' Harry said, completely stunned by this, 'right, thank you, Sir.'

'Do you want to know your score?' Sumner asked, and Harry nodded, 'yes sir.'

'82%,' Sumner said, 'a pass that was 12% over the pass mark.'

Harry didn't really care, he was just happy that he had passed, 'Thank you sir.'

Sumner smiled slightly and placed his hand on Harry's shoulder, 'You have officially been passed for field duty next year Potter, congratulations.'

'Thank you sir,' Harry said again, managing a small smile.

Sumner then relieved him and Harry sighed as he walked out into the corridor, seeing Neville there, for some reason that broke him down and without a word to his friend he rushed down the corridor and out of the building. He stunned the security wizard to get out, he couldn't stay there, he needed to get out.

Harry was running on something, adrenaline maybe, as he apparated to Ron and Hermione's flat which was empty, and then realised he didn't know where else he could go. In the end he apparated to Justin's, banging loudly on the door and practically falling into Justin's arms when he let Harry in.

'What's wrong Harry?' Justin asked in a panic, 'do you want me to call St. Mungo's?'

Harry shook his head and whispered, 'It was my own personal hell Justin.'

'Simulation,' Justin murmured, finally realising what had Harry in such a mess, 'what happened Harry?'

Harry was very quiet and weak as he spoke, 'everyone was dead…Hermione, Ron, all of the Weasley family, everyone…then Voldemort came back in Neville's body.'

'Bloody hell,' Justin muttered angrily, 'they made you fight your own partner? What kind of fucked up mind games do they play at that place?'

Harry shrugged and leant in closer to Justin, 'and I had to kill him Justin…but I didn't want to, but I killed Voldemort…but Neville…he…I made him paralyzed forever.'

'It wasn't real though,' Justin said softly, 'it was all an illusion, Neville's fine really.'

'But that's not the point Justin!' Harry said, rising to his feet angrily, 'I hurt Neville! I hurt him and he's my-' Harry paused, not knowing what to call Neville.

'Your what?' Justin asked in a sad undertone.

'My…my partner,' Harry said.

'He's more than your partner,' Justin said with a sigh, 'stop lying to me about it, and stop lying to yourself about it Harry, please.'

Harry faltered, his mouth slightly ajar as he looked at Justin, 'What are you talking about?'

Justin was calm, quiet and disappointed as he said, 'Ever since we started seeing each other he's all you've talked about. It's never what you did at training, it's how you and Neville did it. I knew when we got together that he was your partner, and that you had feelings for him, but I really thought for a while that I might become more important to you.'

'You are important to me Justin-'

'But not as much as Neville is,' Justin finished, 'don't be with me just because Neville's with someone else and you can't have him. Being second best to someone else is worse than being your dirty little secret Harry,' he said, his eyes boring into Harry's.

Harry sighed heavily, 'I understand,' he said after what felt like a very long time, 'I'm sorry Justin, I really am.'

Justin smiled sadly, 'So am I, but we had a good few months, right? They were good.'

'They were,' Harry admitted with a wrenching feeling in his gut.

'You should probably go,' Justin said, taking in Harry's clothing, 'I assume you ran away from the training centre.'

Harry nodded, feeling very awkward all of a sudden, 'Bye Justin.'

'Goodbye Harry.'

* * *

'Recruit Potter, a word now!'

Harry was dragged aside by one of the Aurors, Cauldwell, the moment he walked into the reception of the training centre.

'Where on Merlin's earth have you been?' Cauldwell hissed angrily.

'Seeing a friend,' Harry said simply.

'You left without permission and stunned a guard,' Cauldwell fumed.

'Cauldwell!' a female voice snapped, Auror Carter rounded the corner. She taught most of Harry's lectures, 'he had just finished individual simulation.'

'Oh,' Cauldwell said, 'apologies ma'am.'

Carter gave him a sharp nod, 'I'll deal with this Cauldwell, get back to your group.'

Cauldwell left, looking pissed off that he had been ordered around by a woman, 'Are you alright Mr. Potter?' Carter asked as she turned to Harry.

Harry shrugged and said, 'Fine.'

'You did well in simulation, what possessed you to run away?' Carter asked, her voice brisk but kind.

'I don't really know,' Harry said honestly, his eyes fixed on the floor.

'I'm afraid you'll have to see Matron Carson later in the week,' Carter said, 'desertion requires a minimum of 3 therapy sessions. I'll inform Auror Sumner and he'll talk to you about it later.'

'Yes ma'am, sorry ma'am,' Harry said quietly.

'On you go recruit, dinner is in 5 minutes,' Carter said, giving Harry a comforting shoulder squeeze and walking away.

By the time Harry got to the dining hall it was just filling up, he sat down at his usual table where Daphne and Susan were sitting and said, 'Justin just broke up with me.'

'How did you get off?'

'I ran away,' Harry admitted with a shrug.

'You look like crap Harry,' Daphne said honestly, 'what happened?'

'Simulation was shit,' Harry muttered glumly, 'so I left and then Justin broke up with me. He thinks I have feelings for Neville because of my simulation.'

'What happened in it?' Susan asked curiously.

'Everyone was dead, and then Neville…Voldemort came back and he took Neville's body. So to kill Voldemort I had to kill Neville,' Harry said, frowning deeply, 'but I saved his life…only he was paralyzed forever.'

'It wasn't real,' Susan reminded Harry.

Daphne just asked, 'did you pass?'

Harry nodded, 'Yeah.'

'And Justin thinks the fact Neville was the main person in your simulation means you like him?' Susan asked.

Harry shrugged and said, 'Yeah...he's right.'

Daphne smiled slightly, she was very perceptive. Susan on the other hand looked at Harry in disbelief, 'You _do _have feelings for him?'

Harry nodded miserably, 'Don't say anything.'

'We won't,' Daphne said.

'Where is he anyway? He's supposed to be finished by dinner,' Harry said, frowning as he glanced to the clock.

'I don't know,' Susan said honestly, 'you're right he should be finished.'

'I'm going to find Sumner and ask if hes okay,' Harry said, he had a bad feeling in his gut as he left the dining hall. He bypassed the simulation room and found Sumner in the staff room.

When he saw Harry he rose to his feet and said, 'Come with me Potter.'

**TBC :)**


	14. We're All a Little Mental Sometimes

**An Unexpected Predicament**

**Chapter 14 - We're All a Little Mental Sometimes  
**

'Sir, where's Neville?'

'He's in the hospital wing Potter,' Sumner said, leading him up a set of stairs, 'and he's been asking for you, it might help calm him down if he sees you.'

'What happened sir? Harry asked, trying to hide his panic.

'He freaked out in the simulation room, completely lost it,' Sumner said as they reached the hospital wing, 'he's behind that screen. I'll excuse you from afternoon classes, but don't think I've forgotten the fact you ran away, you'll receive appropriate punishment in due time.'

'Yes sir,' Harry said, rushing into the hospital wing and darting behind a screen to where Neville was lying in bed looking perfectly fine apart from the fact he was shining with sweat and shaking uncontrollably.

'Harry!'

'Hey Nev, I'm here,' Harry said softly as he sat down on the edge of the bed and let Neville grab his hand, 'Harry…she killed them…and then she tried to kill me, and the pain…it was so…it was like my skin was burning Harry, I was burning, and they were screaming and the pain…'

Harry instinctively hugged Neville as tears spilled from his friend's eyes, it seemed to help because in a couple of minutes he had stopped crying and drifted off to sleep, looking almost peaceful.

'You have a healers touch Mr. Potter,' Cora said with a smile from the side-lines, 'we spent half an hour trying to calm him down to no avail.'

Harry let out a breath and sat down in the chair by Neville's bed, 'I guess.'

'4 therapy sessions, starting tomorrow, for desertion,' Cora added as she walked away.

'Yeah,' Harry said nonchalantly, keeping his hand gripped firmly in Neville's as he looked upon his friends face. He had been terrified of losing Neville twice today, with only a month and a half left of 1st year Harry found himself hating Auror training already. Why did he have to fall in love with his Auror partner? It could have been anybody else, but no, it had to be his bloody Auror partner, Neville bloody Longbottom. And what the hell had happened in his simulation?

* * *

'Harry?'

It was late at night when Neville woke up and was lucid. Harry opened his eyes sleepily, he had been drifting between being awake and asleep for the last few hours.

'Hey Neville,' he said with a yawn, 'how you feeling?'

'Better,' Neville said honestly, 'there was nothing physically wrong with me…just mentally.'

'There's nothing mentally wrong with you,' Harry said, 'you just had a bit of breakdown, I had one too, remember?'

Neville smiled slightly, 'Trust me, mine was worse.'

'What the hell happened in there Neville?' Harry asked curiously.

Neville looked down and was silent for a moment, 'The same they did to you probably, my personal hell.'

Harry frowned, reluctant to tell Neville his personal hell had involved him. Neville continued, 'Bellatrix Lestrange tortured and killed my parents in front of me, and then she tortured me for information. I don't care how fake that room is, I _felt _my flesh burning Harry.'

'I know,' Harry said, ignoring the fact Neville was grasping his hand, 'trust me I know how real it feels.'

'I lost it,' Neville admitted, 'completely broke down and killed her in a fit of rage.'

'Did you fail?'

Neville nodded, 'I have to re-sit next week.'

'Well, at least you have that chance,' Harry said, looking on the brightside, 'you seem better now, you were in a right state when I came in.'

'Just wanted to check you were alive I s'pose,' he said, 'it wasn't just my parents she tortured and killed, it was my Gran too, and you,' Neville said.

Harry nodded, staying silent about his own simulation until he couldn't avoid it anymore.

'What happened in yours, Harry?'

He couldn't tell Neville a lie, so he told him the truth, 'Well I was in Malfoy Manor and I had to walk through the drawing room which was lined with people I loved, all of them dead. The smell of the rotten flesh made me throw up,' he shook his head, trying to shake the memory from it, 'then I went into the basement where Lucius Malfoy had you. He had found a way to put Voldemort's soul into your body.'

'So you had to kill me, to kill Voldemort,' Neville said.

Harry nodded, 'But I didn't…I killed Voldemort, but you were left paralyzed for life. Sumner said if I'd killed you then I'd have failed.'

'Well, at least you passed,' Neville said with a slight smile.

'I know it was fake, but if it were real would you-'

'I wouldn't resent you,' Neville assured his friend, 'it's a bit odd though, that both of our simulations centred round each other.'

'I guess it's because our main objective is to protect and cover our partner, isn't it?' Harry bluffed, but he was sure Neville saw through him.

'Yeah, true,' he said, seeming much more like himself now.

'You're going to need a shit-load of therapy now,' Harry said in amusement.

'Fuck off,' Neville said half-heartedly.

'Serves you right for slagging me off for needing therapy,' Harry chortled.

'Bloody karma,' Neville muttered.

'Don't worry, I've got four therapy meetings with Carson, you're not alone,' Harry said.

'Why do you need therapy? Did something happen in your simulation?' Neville asked curiously.

'No,' Harry said honestly, 'I deserted after it, and went to...Tracey's.'

'Ah,' Neville said with a slight smile, 'I'd have done the same, gone to Stephen's.'

Harry didn't expect the surge of jealousy that ran through him to hurt so much, but it did.

'We broke up,' Harry said, he wasn't going to pretend anymore.

Neville frowned, 'What? Why?'

Harry sighed as he tried to think of a way to tell Neville, 'I dunno, I guess we just wanted different things.'

Neville smiled a little weakly, 'Yeah, Stephen and I are kind of on that same downward spiral.'

'Really? You two seem fine,' Harry said, trying to hide the hope in his voice.

Neville shrugged, 'It's fine, but nothing more than fine. He's quite content with his boring day job, he wants me to get something similar but I don't think I'll ever be happy sitting behind a desk.'

Harry smiled, 'I know that feeling. You should talk to Stephen though, don't be a part of something that makes you unhappy.'

Neville sighed but nodded, 'I will, as soon as I get the chance.'

'Okay,' Harry said as he yawned, 'you good now?'

'Yeah, you can go to bed,' Neville said in amusement.

'Thank Merlin, tomorrows going to be busier than normal since I've got bloody therapy again,' Harry complained.

'Shouldn't have run away then,' Neville teased, 'you pay the price.'

'The price was not worth paying,' Harry joked as he got to his feet.

Neville chuckled and Harry smiled, 'See you tomorrow?'

'Hopefully, if Carson takes this 'mentally unstable' band off my wrist,' Neville said with a grin, 'thanks Harry, for earlier.'

'No problem,' Harry said with a parting smile as he left the hospital wing and entered the dark, gloomy base to make his way back to the dorm he and Neville shared.

* * *

'Is Neville okay?'

'He'll be fine,' Harry told Susan and Daphne as they ate breakfast together the following day, 'he had a bit of a mental breakdown in simulation.'

'I don't blame him if it's as bad as you say it is,' Daphne said with a sigh.

'It's worse if you have a troubled past, they have far more scope for being twisted,' Harry said bitterly.

'Mine is in about 10 minutes,' Daphne said, pushing her food around the plate, 'I'm pretty sure I know what they're going to use as fuel.'

'I won't ask,' Susan said, 'although I'm unsure what they'll use for me. Most of my family were dead before I remember them. I had a lonely upbringing, but not necessarily a painful one.'

'You fought in the war,' Harry reminded her, 'that will probably come into it.'

'I expect so,' Susan agreed.

'I'm going to make my way down there,' Daphne said as she got to her feet, 'I don't want to be late and it's not like I'm eating anyway.'

'Good luck,' Harry said, 'I'm sure you'll do great.'

Susan nodded, squeezing her friends arm briefly, 'You'll be great Daphne.'

Daphne nodded and took a deep breath, 'See you at lunch.'

As she left the dining hall someone else came in and Harry smiled when Neville sat down in the seat Daphne had just vacated, 'Look whose not mentally unstable anymore.'

Neville grinned, 'Thanks for the support mate.'

Harry laughed and Susan said, 'I'm glad you're alright Neville, we were worried about you.'

Neville smiled and said, 'Thanks Susan, I'm okay. Just glad I get to resit, is Daphne in today?'

'Yeah,' Susan said, 'then me in a couple of hours time.'

'You'll be fine, don't sound so worried,' Neville said as he tucked into some cereal, 'what's on the agenda for today?'

'Outdoor training all morning,' Harry said, 'then Herbology lab, swimming and medical exam after lunch.'

'We'll have to study tonight, won't we?' Neville asked, 'we've got that joint essay due in a week today.'

Susan nodded, 'The one about the pros and cons of Niffler tracking.'

Harry's heart fell a little as he thought of Justin, 'Yeah, we'll study after dinner, before lights out,' he agreed.

Neville nodded, frowning a little, 'Do you reckon we'll have time to go over my simulation? So the same doesn't happen again.'

'Sure,' Harry said, 'we'll make time.'

'Thanks Harry,' Neville said as Susan watched the exchange with a smile.

The outdoor training that morning was tough, it was the middle of April now and it was constantly raining. They were cold and soaking wet which made running the track harder than normal. Neville's anger was obviously driving him because he lost a few seconds on his track time, and Harry rather annoyingly maintained his time on the track and the obstacle course instead of shortening it as Neville had.

Susan disappeared halfway through training, but Daphne didn't come back. She got a break to recover then returned to class as normal after lunch. When Sumner finally said they were done Harry and Neville hauled themselves to the showers and enjoyed the heat, it was heaven compared to the last few hours. Showers had become slightly awkward for Harry since his realization because they were communal, but he just tried to forget about it and he had taken to showering with his eyes shut.

'How do you think Daph and Suse got on?' Neville asked conversationally as muddy water from all the dirt of the track and obstacle course trickled towards the drain.

'I reckon they've both passed,' Harry said, happy to keep his mind off the shower situation with small-talk.

'I dunno, they've both got some pretty heavy mental stuff that could be used against them,' Neville said.

Harry frowned as he looked at Neville, very specifically at his face and nothing else, 'What do you mean?'

'Well Susan saw her Aunt tortured and killed,' Neville said, 'I thought you knew that.'

'I knew she was killed, but I didn't know that,' Harry said, 'hows Daphne got anything bad that could be used against her? She's from a privileged Pureblood family.'

'Exactly,' Neville said darkly.

'You gonna elaborate on that?'

'Not my place,' Neville said as he turned off the shower and wrapped a towel around himself.

* * *

At lunch Harry and Neville were eager to hear how the girls had done as they sat down at their table.

'So?' Harry asked.

Susan glanced at Daphne, 'You first?'

Daphne nodded, she smiled weakly, 'Well I passed.'

'Great!' Harry said, 'well done.'

Her smile widened, 'Thanks, it was hellish though. I can't believe the things they dig up from your past to use against you.'

Nobody asked her to elaborate, and Susan said, 'I passed too, it was a torture thing. I had to not kill the person doing the torture as much as I wanted too, if I had I would have failed.'

'That was why I failed,' Neville admitted.

'79%,' Susan said, 'so only 9% over the mark.'

'72%,' Daphne admitted, 'but a pass is a pass, right?'

'Exactly,' Neville said, 'I got 41% so you've all done a lot better than me.'

'You'll pass your next attempt,' Harry said, 'I know it.'

Neville nodded, 'I know what sort of thing to expect now, I hope that will help.'

Susan nodded, 'You'll do great Neville. At the end of the day the thing that got me through was the fact I always knew in the back of my head it wasn't real.'

'You're lucky you have that,' Harry said, 'I struggled. Especially when it concerned the smell of rotten flesh…how they got it so right is worrying. I physically threw up during my simulation.'

'And the burning pain of the cruciatus curse,' Neville added as he shook his head, 'I've had it used on me in real life, it felt _real._'

'It definitely felt real,' Daphne said as she shuddered, 'everything from the way he smelled and sounded felt horribly real.'

Harry frowned, 'What happened in yours Daphne?'

'Something I'd rather not talk about,' Daphne said shortly, and the others stayed silent. Harry was given a warning glance from Neville and knew that glance was telling him to shut his mouth.

* * *

Herbology lab was standard, Neville did most of the work. Swimming was the same as always, a certain amount of lengths within the time limit. At dinner Neville said he would write to Stephen tonight to arrange a meeting at the weekend. He told Daphne and Susan what Harry already knew, he was breaking up with Stephen.

After dinner Harry and Neville found themselves in the empty study hall sitting at a desk attempting to string together this essay. They had several books open in front of them and Harry was dictating the facts they had decided were relevant and providing Neville with arguments as Neville wrote it all down.

'So we've got all the pros down,' Neville said as he took a break and stretched out his fingers which were hurting from extended use of the quill, 'there are 7 there, Auror Sheppard said we at least 5 of each so we're good.'

Harry nodded, 'So at least 5 cons then…well this isn't in any of the books, but if you want to appease a Niffler you just have to give it bacon.'

Neville raised an eyebrow, 'Where'd you hear that?'

'A friend who works in the DRCMC,' Harry said, 'I tried it on the ones in that little room on basement level, they all stopped snapping and let me stroke them.'

Neville laughed, 'I'll trust you and put it in there. You're right, that can be considered to be a con if someone can get them to stop searching.'

Harry nodded, thinking back to Justin and sighing.

'You okay?'

'Yeah, just want to be done with this, I guess,' Harry said as he pulled a book towards him, 'anyway, another con is the fact that some criminals might purposefully not wear anything metal to avoid being caught by a Niffler…'

* * *

In the few hours before lights out the common room was virtually empty. Neville had gone to bed, after saying he needed to work out what he was going to say to Stephen at the weekend, and Susan was still in the study hall cramming. When Harry walked in, with a book in his hand he only saw Daphne sitting on the armchair. She was curled up with a book in front of her, but she was staring at it instead of reading it.

'Mind if I join you?'

Daphne jumped but shook her head when she realised that it was only Harry, 'Sure.'

Harry sat down on the sofa and frowned slightly, 'Daph, I hope you don't think I'm doing the wrong thing here but I'm just worried about you. I can tell your simulation hit you hard, and if you want to talk I'm pretty damn good at keeping secrets.'

Daphne smiled weakly, 'I know you are, Harry. It's just...well, you know when you think that you have put something behind you but then it just creeps up on you again and it feels like you're back to square one?'

'Yeah,' Harry said honestly, 'i know that feeling very well.'

Daphne nodded, she looked down and began to play with a thread on her jeans, 'When I was 13, I came home for the summer as I always did...but my Uncle was there. He lived in Canada, so we never saw him but he had decided he was back for the whole summer.'

Harry waited patiently as Daphne paused and took a shaky breath. Her fingers curled angrily around the thread and she pulled it out and began to twist it around her finger as she continued, 'He seemed nice enough at first, until he started coming into my room at night, using silencing charms and memory charms so I wouldn't tell my parents...'

Harry's eyes widened as he realised what she was saying, 'Oh my...Merlin. Daphne, I'm so sorry. Of course you wouldn't want to talk about something so traumatizing.'

Daphne shook her head and quickly wiped away a few angry tears, 'It's fine. I need to talk about it, you're right Harry. I just...I moved past it, or at least I thought I had but they brought it all back in that room and I knew it couldn't really be him. My Father killed him years ago, once he'd found out what he did...but everything about it felt so real.'

'I know,' Harry said, crossing the room and kneeling in front of the armchair, he took her hand, 'I know how real it all feels. But it isn't, and think of it this way Daph. As horrible and sick as it was that they forced you to live through that again, that is the worst part over. No mission, field training or real is going to be as bad as that hell. You've proven yourself now, they always say the first year is the hardest.'

Daphne nodded, she cleared her throat as she wiped her eyes again, 'Thank you Harry,' she said softly as she leant down to hug him, 'you really are a great friend.'

* * *

On Wednesday Lee and Hamish did their individual simulation tests. Lee passed his, but Hamish failed, meaning like Harry and Neville only one of them was definitely returning for 2nd year.

On Thursday Olivia and Regina did their individual simulation tests. Olivia passed and was safely guaranteed a place for 2nd year, and Regina failed and would have to resit. After dinner they were all in the study hall working on the two essays they had due in the following day when Sumner walked in and called for attention.

'Congratulations to Recruits; Potter, Greengrass, Bones, Jordan and Wood. You have all been guaranteed a place in the second year of training. However if you fail any of your written work, including your exams you _will _have to resit them over the summer,' Sumner informed them.

There were nods all around, 'Recruits; Longbottom, MacDougal and Davies. You will all resit your simulation tests. Longbottom, 0800 hours on Monday. MacDougal, 1000 hours on Monday. Davies, 1400 hours on Monday. Got it?'

'Yes, sir,' they all echoed.

'Good,' Sumner barked, 'Auror Carter has asked me to remind you that you have 11 exams in the two week exam period between the 17th and 28th of May. Your exam dates and times, along with room numbers will be posted in your common room by the end of the week. You've got just over a month, Auror Carter _assured _me you had all started revising.'

With a smirk Sumner left and mumbling broke out. They had just over a month until the exams and nobody had started revising yet. Harry groaned, 'I miss Hermione.'

Neville smirked, 'What are you going to do now you don't have someone to arrange brightly colourful revision plans for you?'

'Fail?' Harry said, making Neville laugh.

'If Hermione were here she'd have gotten me revising months ago,' Harry said as he fell onto one of the comfortable sofa's in the study hall, 'guess we ought to start, huh?'

'Probably a good idea,' Neville agreed in amusement.

* * *

On Friday evening the exam timetable was posted on the notice board of the common room and everyone crowded around it. They had 11 exams in 14 days, and unlike at Hogwarts exams could be on weekends but only in the morning. Exams had two times, morning (09.00-11.00) and afternoon (13.00-15.00).

'_Herbology_ is first…Monday morning then we've got nothing on Tuesday,' Neville said, Harry was happy to get Herbology out of the way first, it was one of his worst subjects here.

'We have two on Wednesday though,' Susan said, '_Code Deciphering_ in the morning and _Stealth and Tracking_ in the afternoon. Then we've got _Muggle Relations and Anti-Muggle Charms_ in the afternoon on Thursday.'

'Don't forget _The Psychology of the Criminal Mind _on Friday afternoon,' Lee said distastefully, they all hated that class.

'_Flying_ is on Saturday morning,' Harry said, 'at least one of the good ones is the one we have to do on a Saturday.'

'Sunday we get off, then they have been nice to us on Monday,' Olivia said, '_Poisons and Antidotes_ in the morning, then _Potions _in the afternoon. Those two go quite nicely together, I bet we'll be able to recycle some information.'

Daphne nodded, 'Tuesday off again, then _Transfiguration in the Field_ on Wednesday afternoon.'

'_Basic Healing_ on Thursday morning,' Regina said happily, it was one of the classes she liked.

'And then our last one is _Concealment and Disguise_ on Friday morning,' Hamish said in his thick Scottish accent.

'Well I would say it could be worse, but I don't think it could be,' Harry said as he looked at those two weeks on paper.

'It could be,' Neville said, 'we could have two exams on all the days.'

'Good point,' Susan said.

Daphne sighed, 'Well, I'm gonna need a drink at the end of those two weeks.'

'Oh yeah,' Harry agreed.

'And we've only got a month to revise for all 11 of them,' Lee reminded them all, eliciting a groan from everyone.

* * *

When Saturday afternoon rolled around Harry found Neville getting ready to go out.

'You meeting up with Stephen?' Harry asked.

Neville nodded grimly, 'Breaking the news to him.'

'How do you think he'll take it?' Harry asked.

'He tried to curse me last time,' Neville said, 'but I'm training to be an Auror, so I doubt I'll get hurt.'

Harry chuckled, 'Do you want to go out after? We can have that talk about your simulation resit.'

Neville nodded, 'I would like that, but we aren't supposed to be seen in public together, remember?'

'I know, but we aren't going anywhere public so it's fine,' Harry said with a smile.

'Alright,' Neville agreed, 'I'll meet you in the study hall when I get back. You've given me a reason to keep this short.'

Harry smirked, 'That was the plan.'

With a chuckle Neville opened the dorm room door, 'See you later Harry.'

* * *

'Wow, what happened to your face?'

Susan rushed over to Neville the moment he arrived in the study hall, and as they both walked over to Harry and Daphne they saw why she was alarmed.

'Bloody hell,' Harry swore as he saw Neville's swollen left eye, 'did he do that to you?' he raged.

Neville nodded, 'I'm fine, don't worry about it.'

Harry got to his feet, and Neville stopped him from storming out, 'He's already apparated away Harry.'

'Coward,' Harry said, 'I'd have hit him twice as hard.'

Neville smiled slightly, 'That's nice to know, but don't worry, I really am fine.'

'Like hell you are,' Harry said, he glanced to the other end of the study hall to where the person he was looking for was sitting. He clicked his fingers and the light above the person flickered, as she looked up Harry motioned for her to come over.

'Wandless magic?' Susan asked in awe, 'before you're even 20?'

'That is hot,' Daphne agreed.

Harry grinned, 'I am quite a powerful wizard you know.'

'Hey, Harry,' Olivia said as she walked over, 'what's up?'

'Hey Liv,' Harry said, he had grown quite close to Oliver's younger sister, 'do you think you could fix Neville's face?'

Olivia gasped, 'Merlin! What happened to you?'

'I got punched,' Neville said, letting Olivia push him onto the sofa.

'Pretty hard by the looks of it,' she said, sitting down next to him and murmuring a few basic healing charms. She, along with Regina, was far better in that class than anyone else in their year.

'Nah, not _that _hard,' Neville objected.

Olivia chuckled, 'What did you do?'

'Broke up with someone,' Neville said honestly.

Olivia's eyes widened, 'A _girl _did this?'

Neville smiled a little, 'Not exactly…'

'Oh!' Olivia realised with a blush, 'sorry! I didn't know Neville.'

'It's okay,' Neville chuckled, 'it's not exactly public knowledge.'

'Oh, of course. Don't worry I won't tell anyone,' Olivia said, and they all trusted her. She was quite quiet, but hardworking and loyal, very much a Hufflepuff which was the house she had been in while at Hogwarts, unlike her older brother.

'Thanks Olivia,' Neville said genuinely as Olivia finished patching him up, 'There, that's the worse of it.'

'Thanks Liv,' Harry said to the slightly older woman, 'I'll get you tickets to the summer Ministry Ball as a thanks, as long as you promise not to take your brother.'

Olivia scoffed, 'No way! Then I wouldn't have anything to gloat to him about!' she said with a grin.

The others laughed as Olivia got back to her revision, Harry glanced at Neville, 'so he didn't take the break up well then.'

'How did you guess that?' Neville asked sarcastically.

Susan chuckled, 'Do you want to go out for a drink Nev?'

'To celebrate you being free,' Daphne added.

Neville laughed, 'I'd love to, but Harry and I have plans. He's going to try and cure me of my PTSD for my simulation resit.'

Harry nodded, 'Speaking of which we better go, if we want to get anything done before we need to be back here.'

'Where are we going?' Neville asked as he got to his feet.

'It's a surprise,' Harry smirked, 'come on.'

'Have fun,' Daphne said as they left the study hall.

'So they're both single now,' Susan said with a grin, 'does this mean we can start playing matchmaker?'

'Definitely,' Daphne grinned.

* * *

'So where are we?' Neville asked as he and Harry materialized in an alley.

'Outside my flat,' Harry said, walking out of the alley and towards his flat.

'Okay…' Neville said, following him into the building and up the stairs.

'It's private, nobody knows I own it,' Harry said, 'I thought it made sense. And the advantage of living in the wizarding quarter means we can order Chinese from Ming, his takeaway is amazing.'

'There are wizarding takeaways?' Neville asked in surprise.

'Yeah,' Harry said, 'don't you live in a wizarding quarter?'

'Nope, I live in a building full of Muggles,' Neville said as Harry unlocked the door to his loft apartment and they walked in together, 'but then I'm not loaded like you.'

Harry shrugged, 'Money isn't everything,' he said as he shut the door behind Neville, 'do you want a drink?'

'Sure,' Neville said as he sat down on Harry's sofa. Harry brought out a bottle of firewhiskey and poured two glasses.

'You even drink expensive firewhiskey,' Neville remarked.

Harry smiled a little, 'There aren't many things I like to have that are expensive, but I can't stand that cheap stuff you drink,' he admitted.

Neville shook his head in amusement, 'It all tastes the same to me. Honestly, you and Draco are perfect for each other.'

Harry snorted, 'I have better taste than Malfoy.'

Neville raised an eyebrow at him, 'And Draco's a man.'

'That too,' Harry said, making a joke out of his slip-up. He was fairly sure Neville bought it as he sat down opposite Neville and took a sip from his glass, he sighed in contentment and Neville snorted, calling him upper class git.

'Shut up,' Harry joked, 'so, let's talk.'

'You don't sound like a therapist at all,' Neville said sarcastically.

'Sorry,' Harry said, 'but that is what you wanted to do. Right?'

'Not exactly,' Neville admitted, his eyes on the ground, 'I wanted to ask you for a favour.'

'Okay…' Harry said, waiting for him to elaborate.

'I want you to use the cruciatus curse on me,' Neville said, looking up and catching Harry's eye.

Harry dropped his glass, spilling firewhiskey over the laminate floor and smashing the glass. He stared at Neville in disbelief, 'what?' he asked in an angry whisper.

'I want you to use it on me, Harry,' Neville said again, 'I need to get immune to it. Like you did with the imperius curse.'

Harry pushed himself to his feet, 'For Merlin's sake Neville! I'm your Auror partner, I'm meant to protect you, not hurt you! I don't even know if I can cast that curse!'

Neville pushed himself to his feet too, 'For fucks sake Harry! Stop being such a wimp, the great boy-who-lived can't cast the cruciatus curse? You _killed _Voldemort for crying out loud!'

Harry was fuming, 'How fucking stupid are you Neville? I know the pain of that curse, I could never use it on anyone I like! It has nothing to do with my magical ability, you have to really mean it to cast an unforgiveable curse!'

'Well then make yourself mean it!' Neville shouted.

'Make myself hate you enough to torture you?' Harry spat, 'I couldn't do that to anyone I love! I could never cast that curse on someone I care about! Shut the hell up about it because no amount of riling me up will _ever _make me hurt you! I'm not Stephen!'

Neville didn't say anything and Harry's chest was heaving as he caught his breath. He walked away from Neville towards the bar and blew out a breath. He had just inadvertently told Neville he loved him.

'You care about me?'

'You're my bloody best friend you idiot,' Harry said as he turned to face the man, 'of course I do.'

Neville chuckled, 'Only you could express your feelings through a fit of rage Harry.'

'Fuck off Neville,' Harry said half-heartedly.

Neville laughed and Harry blew out another breath of air, 'Look, do you want to know how I passed my simulation?'

Neville nodded, so Harry sat down next to him on the sofa, 'I nearly lost it. I flashbacked to Voldemort trying to kill me in 4th year, then again at the Ministry in 5th year. But I pulled myself out of it because I heard your voice in my head, saying you had faith in me.'

'Really?' Neville asked.

Harry nodded, 'So I looked at the situation logically, and I knew that the only way I could save you was by severing the locket that he was controlling you with. I killed Lucius to make him turn around then severed it at the back of your neck, because if I did it at the front and I'd cut you, then you'd have died instantly.'

'Instead I was just paralyzed,' Neville realised, and Harry nodded, 'exactly.'

'So what you're saying is keep a cool head,' Neville said.

'What I'm saying is remember I'm your partner,' Harry said as he looked at Neville, 'even when I'm not there. We're a team, we work best as a team, that's what they want. That's why they make us live together, train together, work together, one person is vulnerable, two people are formidable.'

Neville smiled slightly, 'I get you. If I struggle I should think about you, think about what you'd say or do instead of acting on instinct.'

'Pretty much,' Harry said, 'although do act on instinct, just not passion.'

Neville nodded and said genuinely, 'Thanks, Harry. Sorry for…that.'

Harry shook his head, 'Sorry for shouting at you, it's my way of reacting to shocking news.'

'I'll remember that,' Neville joked, and just like that things were back to normal between them.

* * *

'Harry!'

'Hey, Hermione,' Harry said, hugging her tightly as she ushered him into her flat, 'Ron at work?'

'No, he's at the Burrow. Fleur went into St. Mungo's, they think she might be in labour so he's waiting with the family for news. I wanted to talk to you, so I thought I'd stay here,' Hermione said.

'Why did you want to talk to me?' Harry asked as he sat down on the sofa with her.

'I talked to Justin at work, I had to find out from him that you two broke up!' Hermione exclaimed.

Harry rolled his eyes, 'He broke up with me because he thinks I have feelings for Neville.'

'So he did have a legitimate reason then,' Hermione said with a pointed look.

Harry glared at her, 'That isn't helping, it was bad enough. Justin was my first…'

'Boyfriend?' Hermione asked in amusement.

'Yeah,' Harry agreed, 'but…well, Neville's single now.'

Hermione grinned, 'Good! Go for it, tell him how you feel!'

'I can't,' Harry said, making Hermione groan, 'Harry-'

'No, Hermione,' Harry said, 'I really can't, not now. We have our final exams in less than a month, and he's doing his simulation resit tomorrow. It's crazy at the moment, I can't do that.'

'Well, after then. In the summer,' Hermione said, 'you have to tell him before you miss your chance.'

'I know,' Harry said, 'and I will, just let me do it in my own time.'

* * *

'Try and eat something Nev.'

'No, I'm not hungry.'

Susan and Daphne shared concerned glances and Harry patted Neville on the back, 'You'll do fine, and you can always have some of my food at lunch. Don't force it mate.'

'Thanks Harry,' Neville said weakly.

'Just remember what I told you,' Harry said, aware of the girls watching them, 'you know me inside-out, just think about what I'd do or say if I were with you. Trust me, it helps.'

Neville nodded and swallowed hard, 'I better get down there.'

'Want me to walk you?' Harry asked.

Neville shook his head, 'You'd be late for dueling.'

Harry scoffed as he got to his feet, 'You underestimate how fast I can run Nev, I'll walk you.'

They were silent as they walked to the simulation room, and when they did get there Harry gave Neville one last pep talk before setting off at a jog for the duelling room at the other end of the training centre. He got there in time, panting slightly as he entered the room, Susan and Daphne smirked at him, but he took no notice. He just hoped Neville would be okay this time.

* * *

That morning Harry's performance in the duelling room was as good as always, and then he tried to pay attention in his Concealment and Disguise lecture and failed.

'Recruit Potter!' Auror Emmagen barked.

'Yes, ma'am?'

'Pay attention!' She said with a glare, 'you have an exam in under a month!'

'Yes, ma'am,' Harry said, trying to stop worrying about Neville.

Then he was back in the duelling room until lunch. When the bell rang he jogged to the dining hall and bumped into Neville in a corridor on the way there.

'Nev!'

'Hey, Harry,' Neville said brightly.

'How'd you do?' Harry asked hopefully.

Neville grinned, 'I passed!'

Harry grinned back and hugged his partner in the empty corridor, 'I knew you could do it!'

Neville's grin was still wide as he said, 'It was 70%, couldn't be any higher because it was my second attempt, but I passed!'

As they walked to the dining hall, both in high spirits, Harry wondered if life could get any better. Yes, he thought to himself, if I only had the guts to tell Neville the truth….

_**TBC :)**_


	15. Memorial Woes

**An Unexpected Predicament**

**Chapter 15 - Memorial Woes  
**

The rest of April flew by as quickly as the April showers soaked the ground, and before the recruits knew it their exams were upon them. Their final exam was on the 28th of May, but term didn't officially end until Sunday the 30th of May. That was when they were allowed to pack up their trunk and leave the centre for a while. They had to be back at 6am on the 1st of August for the start of second year. Harry couldn't believe how fast the first year had gone, and despite some hiccups he'd loved it.

There had been barely any fun, or human interaction in the latter half of April, and as May began things continued in the same vein as all 7 remaining recruits revised hard for their exams. At the end of April Hamish failed his third and final attempt at the simulation room and had been asked to leave.

As they lived in relative isolation they didn't see much of what was going on in the world apart from on Mondays when they got to read the prophet. On the 26th of April they read about a huge memorial service followed by a ministry ball to celebrate one year of peace. It would be held on the 2nd of May, and Harry and Neville were fairly certain they would have to attend.

On the 28th of April they were called into Sumner's office, and they had a good feeling it was about this memorial service and ball.

'Good morning recruits,' Sumner said, 'sit.'

Harry and Neville did so, and Sumner said, 'I've been asked to give you these,' he flung two golden invitations at them, bearing a golden phoenix with moving wings.

'Go on then, open them,' Sumner said.

They did, inside was a fancy invitation that said,

_"Dear Mr. Harry James Potter,_

_We request your presence at our Phoenix Memorial Service and Ball this Sunday the 2__nd__ of May._

_In order to remember those who lost their lives in the Great Wizarding War and the Second Wizarding War we will be holding a memorial service in their honour. Followed by a ball and feast, the dress code is smart, and you are required to bring a partner._

_Yours Sincerely,_

_The Office of the Minister for Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt."_

'So you've been invited to this big party the whole world is talking about,' Sumner said with a raised eyebrow.

'Well we were kind of a little bit instrumental in ending the war they're talking about,' Neville pointed out.

'Shut up Recruit Longbottom,' Sumner barked as Harry sniggered.

'Got a problem, Potter?'

'Yes actually, sir,' Harry said, 'these events are so showy and time-consuming. I feel it would be incredibly detrimental to our efforts in the exams if you were to send us. So could you perhaps let the Ministry know we can't make it?'

Sumner smirked, 'That _was _what I was going to do. But since you had the balls to ask me, you can go to the damn well thing. Enjoy your ball, boys.'

Harry and Neville both groaned as they left the office and headed back to class, 'Now we need to find dates,' Harry said.

'I'm just going to take Susan,' Neville said, 'she'll enjoy that kind of thing.'

Harry hummed thoughtfully as they walked into their classroom and sat down at the back with Susan and Daphne.

'You got invitations to that ball then?' Daphne asked Harry.

'Yep,' Harry said, 'wanna go with me?'

Daphne raised an eyebrow, 'You're gay,' she whispered, so Neville couldn't hear.

'I know, but I have to go and I need a date, so do you wanna go with me?' Harry asked.

Daphne grinned, 'Yeah, definitely!'

'Recruits Potter and Greengrass! Keep it down!'

'Yes sir.'

* * *

The 2nd of May brought the event. Harry, Neville, Susan and Daphne were excused from their Sunday morning classes to get ready. In actual fact they all just had a nice lie in and then got up around 11am. The memorial didn't start until 2pm so once they were all dressed in their black robes, with their outfits for the ball shrunken and in Daphne's handbag they dropped into Diagon Alley for brunch.

They ate together, managing to avoid the press and then went to the Ministry where the memorial would be held in the atrium. Once there they made their way through the crowd to the large golden statue of a Phoenix in the centre where they met up with Ron, Hermione and the Weasley's.

'Harry, dear,' Molly said as she hugged him, 'we're so glad you could make it.'

Harry smiled, 'Yeah, it was hard with our exams so close, but we made it,' he shared a glance with Neville who chuckled.

'This is Daphne, my friend from Auror training,' Harry told Molly, 'and this is Susan, also my friend from Auror training.'

'Nice to meet you both,' Molly said. She was acting tough, but today wasn't an easy day for her, it wasn't an easy day for any of them.

'When do you get free from that place?' Ron asked the group generally.

'Sunday, the 30th of May,' Susan said, 'I'm counting the days till we get a break.'

'Me too,' Daphne said, 'oh we're having a little end of term party on the 5th of June. You guys are both welcome to come.'

'Thanks,' Hermione said, 'we will.'

'It's just at my flat, so it's nothing big, you'll know most people there,' Daphne said pleasantly and Ron nodded, 'thanks for inviting us, even if we don't work with you.'

'You're Harry's friends, and he's my friend,' Daphne said honestly as the service began.

They were all silent as the Minster for Magic, Kingsley, gave a short speech about the war and their losses in it. He then unveiled a large golden plaque with the names of all witches, wizards, Muggles and creatures who had died in both of the wars and Harry got a tear in his eye when he saw some of the names there.

Lily Potter…James Potter…

Neville gripped his shoulder, and he took a deep breath.

Cedric Diggory…Sirius Black…Albus Dumbledore…Alastor Moody…Dobby…Fred Weasley…Remus Lupin…Nymphadora Tonks…Severus Snape.

Susan's Aunts name was up there too, and Harry saw her get a little teary. They took a moment of silence, the whole atrium fell eerily quiet and was still until Kingsley ended it and thanked them all for being there.

'Where are you going to get changed?' Molly asked the group.

'We were just going to go to Harry's flat,' Neville said honestly.

'Oh don't be silly, come back to the Burrow,' Molly fussed, and Arthur nodded, 'it makes far more sense.'

'Is that okay by you guys?' Harry asked, turning to Neville, Susan and Daphne who all nodded. Harry turned back to Molly, 'alright Molly,' he said as they all left the Ministry together via floo to the burrow. As they were all gathered in the kitchen Molly ordered everyone around to various rooms to get changed in. It was 3pm at the moment, and the ball didn't start until 5pm but by the time the girls were changed and had done their make-up and hair charms, it would be about time to leave.

'Charlie, you can get changed in Bills old room, dear,' Molly said, referring to Bills room that he had once shared with Charlie when they were very young.

'Percy, George,' Molly said, 'get changed in Percy's room.'

'William, you can get changed in Fred and George's room,' Molly said to Ginny's boyfriend, William Morrison, the Head Boy.

'Audrey, Angelina, you get changed in Charlie's old room,' Molly said, Fleur was in St. Mungo's because today was her due date, and Bill was with her but there had been no news yet. And her first trip to St. Mungo's had turned out to be a false alarm.

'Susan, Daphne, you can get changed in Ginny's room with Ginny and Hermione,' Molly said kindly.

'Oh, and Harry and Neville, you're in Ron's room,' Molly finished.

Ron nodded, 'Alright then, we better hop it.'

They made their way upstairs to Ron's topmost room and Neville grinned, 'This is neat.'

'I love this room,' Harry admitted as he sat down on Ron's bed, 'I practically grew up here.'

Ron smiled and said, 'Yeah, we had some great summers here, didn't we?'

'We sure did,' Harry agreed, 'I kind of miss them a little.'

'Well you can come by here anytime this summer,' Ron chuckled, 'I think I might be moving back in.'

'Why?' Neville asked as they all got their dress robes out, 'are things okay with you and Hermione?'

'Oh yeah, fine,' Ron said, 'but she's got some overseas apprenticeship she's applying for. If she gets it she'll be in Norway all summer, so I might as well come back here instead of being alone in the flat.'

'I don't know what I'll do in the summer,' Harry admitted as he put his bottle green dress robes on, they had been adjusted since the Yule Ball, 'I might come back here for a while, but I suppose I should live in that flat in London I bought.'

Neville chuckled, 'Yeah, I'm glad I've got a flat in London. I couldn't go back to my Grans, as much as I love her.'

The others laughed as they finished doing up their buttons and straightening things off. Ron was wearing smart new dress robes that were black with a gold hem and gold cuffs. Neville was wearing scarlet dress robes, they all scrubbed up pretty nicely.

'How long do you reckon it will take the girls to do all their charms?' Harry asked in exasperation.

'Merlin knows,' Neville said, 'One of the reasons I'm glad I don't have to deal with that, men are a whole lot faster at getting ready for a night out.'

'I don't know mate,' Ron said, 'Harry takes a while.'

Harry rolled his eyes, 'I don't use beautifying charms like his ex did.'

'I know, that _was _a bit much,' Neville said in amusement.

'You just take about an hour in the shower,' Ron retorted.

'Not anymore, you don't wanna know what happens if we take too long in the shower at training,' Harry said, making Ron laugh loudly.

'Anyway, I reckon we've got time for a game of chess, or exploding snap before the girls are even in their dresses,' Neville said, pulling out a pack of cards from his pocket.

'You're on,' Ron grinned.

* * *

'So are you and Harry seeing each other?' Ginny asked Daphne.

'Oh, no,' Daphne said, 'we're just friends.'

'Ah, okay,' Ginny said, 'I didn't think you were his type.'

'No, you're not at all his type,' Hermione remarked with an amused smile at Daphne and Susan. Ginny was the only person here who didn't know about Harry's newfound sexuality.

'I'm sort of in a relationship anyway,' Daphne admitted, 'with Draco, but he's in a marriage contract with my sister.'

'That's pretty tough going,' Ginny said sympathetically.

Daphne shrugged, 'We've been trying to find a way around for a while, but with no luck just yet.'

'That's a shame,' Hermione agreed as they helped each other into their dresses. To match her partner Daphne was wearing a bottle green ballgown with a sizeable skirt and a corset style top with silver embellishments.

Hermione was wearing a beige ballgown with a smaller skirt, golden hems, cuffs and embellishments on the corset top to match Ron's dress robes. Susan was dressed in a scarlet red ball gown with a corset style top and a fairly big skirt. Ginny was wearing a silver ballgown with the largest skirt, and a halterneck style top to match her boyfriend's silver robes.

As they began their hair and beautifying charms, which could take about an hour they made small talk and the four of them got on pretty well, surprisingly enough.

* * *

At 5pm everyone was in the hall for the Ministry ball. They were just milling around, and making small talk. In about 10 minutes there would be a feast, and then they would have to dance. This was Neville's favourite part of the night, and Harry's least favourite part.

Throughout the meal Harry caught up with Luna who was sitting on his right, and talked about Quidditch with Oliver Wood who was sitting on his left. Not to mention the fact Harry was in training with his little sister, Oliver wanted all the dirt on her and Harry had to admit that there wasn't any.

'So are you still with Puddlemere United?' Harry asked the older man.

Oliver nodded, 'Yeah, for part of the year, but it's hard to fit it in now. I'll be a fully qualified Auror by the end of this month.'

Harry nodded his agreement, 'I don't know how you balance it all, I was surprised actually when I heard you were in training, I always thought you'd go into Quidditch.

'I planned to, but then the war happened,' Oliver said honestly, 'I felt kind of useless sitting on a broom all day, I wanted to do something that meant something.'

Harry smiled, 'Yeah, I know what you mean. I want to make the world a better place, a safer place. It's the kind of thing you can feel proud to do, you know?'

'Exactly,' Oliver said, 'hey, how's Liv getting on?'

Harry chuckled, 'Great, yeah. Her partner Regina is struggling a bit, but she's great.'

'Where are they in the rankings?' Oliver asked curiously.

'3rd,' Harry replied, 'Lee Jordan is 4th at the moment because his partner just got kicked out.'

'Did he fail simulation?' Oliver asked.

Harry nodded, 'Yeah, on his 3rd and final attempt.'

'I didn't get it until my 2nd,' Oliver said, 'it's pretty tough what they throw at you.'

'I passed first time, but it took Neville a second attempt,' Harry said, 'they used everything they could against me though.'

'I'll let you in on a secret, simulation room is hell. Field practice, even 3rd year when you're a trainee Auror all year, is easier than that,' Oliver said honestly.

'I'll pass that onto Neville,' Harry said with a slight smile, 'I think he'll appreciate that.'

'So who's first then, in the rankings that is? You?' Oliver asked in amusement.

'Yeah, Neville and me,' Harry said, 'but Daphne Greengrass and Susan Bones are a close second, we jump between 1st and 2nd on a weekly basis.'

Oliver chuckled, 'There's always a couple of pairs like that, normally they are the ones that get to the end of training. Just don't let the competition get out of hand, remember what you're there for.'

Harry nodded, appreciating Oliver's advice, 'Hey Oliver, did Sumner give your year group a speech about-'

'How there only 4 would remain?' Oliver asked, 'yeah, why?'

'Well did it come true for your year group?' Harry asked tentatively.

Oliver frowned, 'Well someone transferred to the DMLE within a week. Someone got kicked out for failing their simulations and one person had a mental breakdown and left.

'Did someone die?' Harry asked, dreading the answer.

Oliver's face fell, 'Yeah,' he said.

Harry frowned, 'How?' he asked.

'It was my partner,' Oliver said quietly, 'we were on a field mission in 2nd year and he…he ran into a really dangerous situation to try and save people who were past hope. If they weren't already dead, they would have died anyway...'

'I'm sorry,' Harry said quietly as he thought about Neville. He had tried to do that in their chaos simulation, and he suddenly realised there was a real chance of something happening to him in the field.

Oliver shook his head, 'Just do me a favour Harry, look out for my sister.'

'I will,' Harry promised.

* * *

When the meal finished and the first song began to play Daphne looked at Harry expectantly and with a sigh he held his arm out to her and led her to the dance-floor, 'You don't have to look quite so miserable about dancing with me, even if I'm not your…type.'

Harry chuckled, 'It's not that, I just don't like dancing, at all,' he said honestly.

'You don't like dancing?' Daphne asked, 'but it's great fun.'

'Maybe, but as you can tell, I'm not very good at it,' Harry said, and Daphne laughed and agreed with him.

They danced a few times together then Harry sat down briefly. Neville joined him, and could tell something was wrong, 'What's up?'

'I talked to Oliver at dinner,' Harry said, 'about Auror training since he graduates this month.'

'And?' Neville asked with a frown.

'He said it was true, what Sumner said. Two people left, one transferred and another died,' Harry said quietly.

'Just because it happened to his year doesn't mean it will happen to ours,' Neville assured Harry.

Harry sighed, 'Neville, the person who died was his partner. He ran into a situation to save people who were beyond hope, already dead.'

Realisation dawned on Neville's face, and Harry said, his voice breaking slightly, 'Please promise me you will never try to do that again.'

'I promise,' Neville said sincerely, 'if I died who would be there to watch your back?'

Harry managed a weak smile and Neville got to his feet, 'Come on, dance and enjoy yourself.'

Harry nodded and they made their way into the thick of it. He danced with Daphne again and then partners began to switch. He actually kind of enjoyed himself as he danced with Hermione, and Susan, and then Luna, and even Ginny for a while, and then once with McGonagall.

By the time his feet started to hurt and he needed a break it was nearly 11pm. He retired to one of the tables by the side of the dance floor. Charlie joined him and handed him a drink, 'Thanks Charlie,' Harry said as he sipped the firewhiskey.

'No problem,' Charlie said, 'dancing not your thing?'

'Can't stand it,' Harry said.

Charlie laughed, 'Nah, me either. What's the deal with you and Neville?'

'Nothing,' Harry said honestly, 'we're Auror partners.'

'Ah, rules and regulations,' Charlie said, 'here's a tip, screw them.'

'I wish I could, but they can still kick me out at any time,' Harry said, 'as of the 30th of May they have to give me 3 written warnings first.'

'So you're playing the game,' Charlie said sounding impressed, 'you'd make a good politician.'

Harry snorted, 'Not that I'd ever want to be one. I'd rather be in the thick of the action instead of trying to control it.'

Charlie grinned, 'Well said.'

'Who did you bring as your date?' Harry asked curiously, he hadn't seen anyone at the burrow.

'Just a friend from school, had to bring someone and I could hardly bring a bloke,' Charlie said, there was no one around, everyone was dancing.

Harry nodded, 'Yeah, I just invited Daphne as a friend. She loves stuff like this, I can't bloody stand it.'

'Me either, we're celebrating death. In what world is that okay?' Charlie asked as he downed what he had left in his glass.

'You okay?' Harry asked.

Charlie shrugged, 'As okay as I can be, all things considered.'

'Yeah,' Harry agreed, 'me too.'

'Wanna bail and find somewhere with stronger alcohol?' Charlie asked.

'Definitely,' Harry muttered as Daphne, Neville and Susan wandered over.

'Hey guys,' Harry said, 'I'm going to head, you know this isn't my scene. Feel free to stay. Nev, you can adopt my date.'

Neville chuckled and put one arm around Daphne and the other around Susan, 'Alright Harry, don't drink too much.'

Harry smirked, Neville knew exactly how he planned to get through the remainder of this shitty day, 'I won't, I need to be back at the training centre by 6am after all, don't I?'

'Yep, and the punishment is laps, as much as Sumner sees fit,' Daphne said.

Harry shook his head, 'I'll be back, don't worry, and don't wait up for me Nev,' he added as he and Charlie got to their feet, 'Come on, let's get some decent firewhiskey and drown our sorrows,' he said.

Charlie patted Harry on the back, 'Now _that _sounds like a plan.'

* * *

When Harry woke up he was fairly sure he wasn't at the training centre, and he was definitely sure he was bloody hungover. His head pounded, and he felt sick as he opened one weary eye and took in his surroundings.

He was in his flat, that was good. He had at least gotten home to some familiar place, he sat up and groaned, he didn't remember much of the night after going to a bar with Charlie and drinking some extra strong firewhiskey. As he tried to focus his thoughts he was aware of a shower running in the bathroom attached to his bedroom. He frowned, 'What the…'

The shower stopped, and then Charlie Weasley walked out of his bathroom wearing nothing but a towel. Harry gaped at him for a moment and then fell back heavily onto the bed, 'Fuck.'

'Was it that bad?' Charlie asked cheekily.

Harry's cheeks flushed as memories of the previous night flooded back to him, 'Quite the opposite,' he said, still feeling a little embarrassed. He had only ever slept with one guy before, well two now, and Charlie had been _very _different from Justin.

Charlie grinned, 'So you do remember?'

'Mostly, it's a little fuzzy,' Harry admitted. He sat up a little gingerly, 'I feel like shit.'

'You drank a lot last night, for someone as little as you,' Charlie said.

'Little?' Harry asked indignantly.

'Look at you, you're a stick,' Charlie said in amusement as Harry got up and grabbed a t-shirt and a pair of trousers. Compared to Charlie, Harry was small, Charlie was broad and muscular and well…very fit. Harry blushed as he flung on his clothes and wandered into the kitchen, 'you hungry?' he called back into the bedroom.

Charlie wandered out a few seconds later in jeans a t-shirt, 'starving,' he said.

Harry yawned and opened his cupboards and the fridge, he didn't have much in, 'bacon sandwich do?'

'Sounds great,' Charlie said and with the aid of magic Harry whipped up some bacon sandwiches and coffee. As they sat at the kitchen bar, Harry shook his head, 'I can't believe I slept with Ron's brother.'

Charlie smirked, 'I think it's best not to tell him.'

'I agree with that,' Harry said, glancing awkwardly at Charlie, 'Look Charlie…this doesn't have to mean anything right? It's just that I sort of have feelings for-'

Charlie cut off his ramble and said, 'Don't worry about it Harry, it was drunken sex. It doesn't have to mean anything, it did the job...it took my mind off of Fred.'

'I'd have been worried if you'd been thinking about Fred,' Harry joked.

Charlie chuckled and said, 'Well you were clearly thinking of someone else.'

Harry frowned, 'What do you mean?'

Charlie smirked, 'You said Neville's name a couple of times.'

Harry cringed and let his head fall into his hands, 'Fuck…I am _so _sorry about that Charlie.'

Charlie laughed, 'Don't worry about it, like I said, drunken sex, right?'

'Right,' Harry agreed, he glanced at the roof light, it was still dark outside, but it seemed like daylight was beginning to get through.

'Shit,' Harry cursed.

'Yeah, you were supposed to be back by 6am, weren't you?' Charlie asked in amusement.

'Yep,' Harry said, 'what time is it?'

'10 to 6,' Charlie chuckled.

'I'm going to have to run Charlie,' Harry said as he grabbed his coat, 'If I get back now maybe no one will notice I was gone. Let yourself out, yeah?'

'Sure,' Charlie said, 'thanks for last night.'

Harry laughed, 'Yeah, thanks,' he agreed as he opened the door, 'see you around,' he added as he rushed out of it and down the stairwell. He felt sick as he apparated and even more so after doing so. He got past the security wizard and was creeping up the stairs to the dormitory when…

'POTTER!'

'Shit.'

'What was that?' Sumner asked from the doorway of the dorm Harry shared with Neville.

'Sir,' Harry said.

'Where have you been all night?' Sumner barked, drawing Susan, Daphne, Olivia, Regina and Lee from their dorms to see what was going on.

'I've just been out for a walk sir, I was here last night,' Harry lied.

'Potter you are a lying little shit. Longbottom here put pillows and clothes under your bedcovers to try and deceive me,' Sumner said, 'he's going to be running 10 laps after breakfast as punishment.'

'No,' Harry objected, 'don't punish Neville, I'll do his 10 laps.'

'How very noble of you, still playing the hero I see,' Sumner barked, 'get on that track right now!'

'How many laps?' Harry asked.

Sumner grinned evilly, 'until you puke, go on. Get your sorry arse out on that field now!'

Harry groaned, he had a hangover, he was sore from his…activities…with Charlie the night before and he was going to have to run till he puked. On the brightside that probably wouldn't take very long…

* * *

It was pouring down with rain as Harry began his jog around the track. He felt sick before he even started and could feel that his bacon sandwiches would be coming up pretty soon.

'Move your arse, Potter!' Sumner barked.

Harry picked up speed and managed his first lap, then a second, and Sumner continued to give him abuse. By the 10th lap he was wanting to throw up to end his suffering and by the 15th lap he was heaving on the grass next to the track.

Sumner clapped his hands, 'You did well Potter, the last hungover person only managed 5,' he said, patting Harry on the back.

Harry groaned, feeling like he might throw up again.

'Get inside and get cleaned up,' Sumner said, a little more gently, 'and don't come back here smelling of another guys cologne again.'

Harry blanched and Sumner said, 'You're not the first, and you won't be the last. Hell, whenever we have Slytherins here dorming them together is a nightmare. Not everyone here is as relaxed as I am however, and it's not the kind of thing you want to shout about.'

'Yes, sir,' Harry said weakly.

'I assume you don't want the press to know anyway, so aside from this hiccup we won't have any further problems. Will we?'

'No sir,' Harry promised.

'Good,' Sumner said, he handed Harry a vial of potion, 'it will kill the hangover. Get to breakfast and try to eat something, I'll see at 07.30 for duelling.'

Harry nodded and dragged himself to the showers, he downed the potion and cleaned off the sweat, the sick and the smell of Charlie. His conversation with Sumner had been enlightening and it had also told him what he needed to know, nothing could ever happen between him and Neville. Not while they were training together, and especially not when they became fully-fledged Aurors.

* * *

When Harry sat down for breakfast he was expecting the onslaught of insults and questions from his supposed friends, but he thought they might actually let his arse touch the seat before the bombardment started.

'Where were you?'

'Who were you sleeping with?'

'What have you done this time?'

Harry groaned and hit his head off the table. When he looked up there were three raised eyebrows looking at him, he couldn't tell them the truth, not the whole truth anyway so instead he told them part of it.

'I was out drinking, and then in my flat,' Harry said.

'Uh-huh, with who?' Daphne asked with a smirk.

'Gentlemen don't kiss and tell,' Harry said, he was trying to be smooth but he still felt a bit off even after the potion he had taken.

'Male or female?' Susan joked.

Harry tried his best to laugh that one off, 'Haha, very funny.'

Neville chuckled, but noticed Harry hadn't actually answered the question, 'You were probably too drunk to tell.'

'I wasn't that drunk,' Harry said, 'just a bit hungover this morning.'

'A bit?' Susan snorted, 'did Sumner really make you do laps until you threw up?'

'Yes, he did,' Harry said.

'How many did you manage?' Neville asked.

'15,' Harry said, making the others laugh.

'Even hungover you're pretty good,' Daphne said.

Harry chuckled, 'then he gave me a hangover potion and told me I could have a shower. I don't know how I'm going to get through today, all I want to do is go to my bed.'

His friends laughed as they finished breakfast and headed off to duelling. Harry wasn't sure how much longer he could keep up the act, but telling Neville he was gay meant telling Neville he had feelings for him. The implications of that were huge, they wouldn't be allowed to be partners anymore, they might not even be allowed to finish their training. This was all assuming Neville even felt the same way, Harry reminded himself. He pushed the thoughts from his head and focused on the task at hand. Getting through today so he could go to sleep tonight.

_**TBC :)  
**_


	16. Gonna Give All My Secrets Away

**An Unexpected Predicament**

**Chapter 16 - Give All My Secrets Away  
**

_**A/N: I've got a feeling you're all going to like this chapter very much ;) (WARNING for graphic, but not explicit content. I don't think it's enough to up the rating to an M, but let me know if you think otherwise)**_

* * *

The first week of the two week exam period crept up on the recruits and before they knew it they were sitting in a hall for the first of eleven. As the days passed by, Harry got more and more confident. He was fairly sure he had scraped a pass in _Herbology_, but he knew it would be marginal, he felt okay about the practical aspect, but not so much in the written aspect.

On Tuesday he crammed for his two Wednesday exams. He felt okay about_ Code Deciphering_, confident he had passed but not well. Later that day he emerged confident from the _Stealth and Tracking_ exam. Then he crammed, and slept.

On Thursday he flew through _Muggle Relations and_ _Anti-Muggle Charms_, he had grown up with them so it was logical in many cases.

Harry, along with everyone else in his year, was pretty sure he failed _The Psychology of the Criminal Mind _on Friday, but at least it was unanimous.

On Saturday morning they had their flying exam which was completely practical, and a piece of cake. Harry finished 20 minutes before the end of the exam, and got to lounge on the grass while the others finished.

Sunday was not spent resting, it was spent cramming for the week ahead. Then Monday brought _Poisons and Antidotes _which Harry felt comfortable he'd passed, then after lunch was the _Potions _exam. Harry had been dreading this one, but the written aspect was okay and he was in luck because the practical aspect was making polyjuice potion.

On Tuesday he crammed for his remaining 3 exams, and on Wednesday he reckoned he scraped through _Transfiguration in the Field. _Thursday brought another exam he was dreading, _Basic Healing_. He was terrible at it, but managed to get by okay on the written which hoped would pull up the overall grade because his practical went badly.

Friday was the final exam day, and Harry's last exam was _Concealment and Disguise _which was all written at this stage in training so he got through it pretty good.

When they emerged from the exam hall at 15.05 that Friday afternoon they collectively breathed a sigh of relief.

'Thank Merlin that's over,' Daphne said.

'To the Thestral?' Lee suggested.

They were technically finished now, no labs or lectures on Saturday and Sunday, just time to pack up and wash and iron their uniforms, and clean out their dorms.

'That is a great idea,' Neville said as they all made their way to the dorms to change. The last two weeks had been tough, and they had flown by, Harry had barely talked to Neville throughout it all, which was good really because it made it easier not to blurt out that he had feelings for him.

'Feels good to be done, doesn't it?' Neville asked as he and Harry changed into jeans and t-shirts, out of their drab grey uniforms.

'Yeah,' Harry said honestly, 'the suns coming out, its getting warmer, and we're free for two months.'

'Don't quite know what I'm going to with myself,' Neville admitted.

Harry laughed, 'We've got to keep up our fitness, haven't we? There's no way we'd be able to get back into it if we don't.'

'I suppose,' Neville agreed, 'I think I'll take up swimming, and maybe go to a gym.'

'A gym?' Harry scoffed, 'just join a duelling club, that's what I'm going to do.'

Neville hummed thoughtfully as they left the dorm, joining the others in the narrow corridor and heading out as a group to the Thestral.

As they sat in the bar, drinking and laughing, Harry looked around. Sumner had said that of the 10 of them, 1 would die, 2 would be asked to leave, 2 would buckle under the pressure and one would transfer to the DMLE. Kevin Entwhistle had transferred, Hamish MacDougal had been asked to leave, and Seamus had buckled under the pressure. That meant, if his theory was right, one of these people would be asked to leave, one would drop out, and one would die. He looked around them all, and all he could do was pray that Sumner was wrong because he had done what he had been trying not to do. He had gotten close to all of them, to Neville, to Susan and Daphne, even to Lee, and also to Olivia and Regina. He sighed and took a swig from his drink, only Neville noticed and he didn't say anything which Harry was grateful for as he pasted on a smile and rejoined the conversation.

* * *

It felt strange, leaving the training centre and going home. It was like leaving Hogwarts, although in this case it wasn't the place Harry was sad to leave, it was the people. His big one-bedroomed flat seemed huge and empty compared to his dorm at the training centre. He knew he would see everyone again at the party on Saturday, but that was a week away, and he had no idea what to do with himself until then.

In the end Harry helped George out at the shop that week so Ron could get a holiday, and it kept him busy. When Saturday rolled around he put on jeans and a shirt, attempted to comb his hair, grabbed a bottle of firewhiskey and apparated to Daphne's doorstep.

He entered the building, and knocked on her door. She beamed at him when she opened it, as always she looked stunning, wearing a simple blue dress, 'Hey Harry, come in!'

'Hey Daph,' Harry said as he kissed her on the cheek, 'I'm missing you already, don't know how I'll get through this summer.'

'You'll manage,' she said as she led him into the living room, 'this is for you, by the way,' he said as he handed over the bottle.

Daphne grinned, 'He drinks the good stuff Draco, like you.'

'Well, if you can afford quality, buy it,' Draco said with a smirk.

'Exactly,' Harry said, shaking Draco's hand, 'nice to see you again.'

'You too Potter,' Draco said with a smile and he seemed to actually mean it.

Harry quickly said hello to Susan, kissing her on the cheek as he had with Daphne. Theodore Nott was here again, as was Sophie Roper and Blaise Zabini. Neville was coming, but he wasn't here yet, neither were Ron and Hermione. Harry ended up sitting down next to Draco, both of them drinking quality firewhiskey.

'So, you and Longbottom?'

'Non-existent,' Harry said, 'we're Auror partners, it's against the rules.'

'Ah,' Draco said with an amused smile, 'rules, you never did abide by them at Hogwarts.'

'True,' Harry said with a chuckle, 'so you and Daph?'

'Getting there,' Draco said, 'we think we've worked out a way to boycott my marriage to Astoria.'

'Well, that's good,' Harry said, 'you ought to be happy, you deserve it after the war.'

'So do you,' Draco said honestly, 'but life's a bitch sometimes.'

'Yes it is,' Harry agreed as Neville walked in, shortly followed by Ron and Hermione. Harry greeted Neville with a smile, 'Nice to see you again, been a while.'

'Feels like that, doesn't it?' Neville asked in amusement, 'after seeing each other everyday.'

Harry laughed, 'Yeah,' he said. They couldn't talk anymore as Ron and Hermione came over, Harry hugged Hermione and smiled at Ron, 'Hey,' he said.

'Hey!' Hermione said happily, 'you're free for a summer!'

'Bet you don't know what to do with yourself,' Ron joked.

Harry nodded, 'Oh yeah, that is _exactly _how I feel.'

'Already?' Hermione asked in disbelief.

'Yep.'

The evening continued in the vein of small talk as the drinks got flowing and the extra strong shots of firewhiskey were dealt out. The real fun began after midnight when everyone was suitably wasted, even those who could hold their liquor like Draco and Theo…

* * *

Harry was in the kitchen refilling the shot glasses with Theo when the first spat of the night happened.

'So, you and Longbottom are Auror partners.'

'Yep,' Harry said.

Theo snorted, 'Bet you must do all the work, you wouldn't be able to rely on him having your back.'

Harry and Theo were unaware of Neville hovering by the doorway. Harry glared at the Slytherin, 'Quite the opposite, I trust him with my life.'

Theo laughed, 'You can't think much of your life then.'

Harry's glare intensified, 'Neville is one of the most amazing people I know. He rose above all odds and expectations and saved the whole bloody wizarding world. He's as much the hero as I am, nobody is braver than him, and I would not want anyone other than him having my back.'

'Alright then,' Theo said, 'I was just joking.'

'You better have been,' Harry said, turning around and leaving the kitchen. He was surprised when he bumped into Neville outside.

'Thanks,' he said weakly.

Harry's cheeks flushed, 'You heard that?'

Neville nodded, unable to meet Harry's eye, 'Nobody's ever said anything that nice about me before.'

Harry shrugged, 'It's the truth,' he said.

Neville smiled as they returned to the living room together and not long after that the inevitable drinking games began…

'Let's be old-fashioned and play truth or dare,' Daphne suggested with a grin.

The others agreed, and they had an array of shots on the table for anyone who forfeited. Wizarding truth or dare was slightly more fun than the Muggle version, a truth circle was drawn on the ground around the group so they had no choice but to answer honestly. With everyone ready they started the game. Beginning with the person whose first name came first alphabetically, Blaise.

'Truth or dare?' Daphne asked him.

'Dare,' Blaise said smoothly.

Daphne grinned wickedly, 'Strip to your boxers and stay like that for the rest of the game.'

Blaise rolled his eyes, 'Lame,' he said, quickly whipping off his clothes and sitting quite comfortably on the floor.

'If that's lame I dread to think what version of this game Slytherins play in the common room,' Hermione remarked.

'It usually resulted in at least two people having sex,' Draco said calmly.

Susan grinned, 'Oh, the Hufflepuff version did too.'

'And they say Gryffindors are brave,' Theo tutted at Ron and Hermione's shocked expressions.

'Truth or dare Daphne?' Susan asked her friend as they went around the circle.

'Dare,' Daphne smirked.

'Make out with a girl here, can't be me though since I'm giving you the dare,' Susan said with a smirk.

Daphne glanced at her two options, Hermione and Tracey.

'Sorry Trace, been there and done that,' Daphne said as she walked across the circle to a bemused Hermione. Harry couldn't help but snigger as Ron's jaw dropped as he watched the exchange between his girlfriend and the Slytherin.

'Fucking hell, I _wish _I had been in Slytherin,' Ron said.

'Did anyone get that recorded?' Neville asked as he burst out laughing.

'Okay Longbottom,' Draco said, 'Truth or dare?'

'Given the last few dares I'm gonna say truth,' Neville opted.

Draco shook his head, 'And the Gryffindors are meant to be the brave ones.'

Neville laughed as Draco said, 'Alright, where's the most public place you've ever had sex? And who with?'

Neville cringed slightly, on the brightside he was fairly sure almost everyone here knew he was gay, 'Well-'

'Don't,' Theo said with a glare in Neville's direction.

Neville cringed, 'It's the true answer! In the Slytherin common room, with that idiot over there,' he answered, speaking very quickly.

Theo attempted to curse Neville who put a shield charm up in seconds even while pissed, 'I'm an Auror, you arse!'

'You're a _trainee _Auror,' Theo remarked.

'Wait…Theo…you slept with a _Gryffindor?' _Draco asked in disbelief.

Theo rolled his eyes, 'Yeah well we all make mistakes, mate.'

Harry shook his head in amusement at the Slytherins comment.

'Hermione, truth or dare?' Tracey asked the Gryffindor girl.

'Dare,' Hermione smirked.

Draco grinned, 'A true Gryffindor, Granger!'

'Only when I'm this drunk,' Hermione said through her laughter.

'Kiss whoever the bottle lands on,' Tracey said, spinning an empty bottle in the middle of the little circle they had formed. It landed on Harry who cringed, and Hermione laughed as she walked over to him, 'You're really not gonna enjoy this, are you?' she asked.

'No, but let's get it over with,' Harry said, kissing Hermione as Ron laughed at how uncomfortable it made him.

With Hermione's dare over, it was Draco's turn.

Sophie, who had also been a Slytherin said, 'Truth or dare?'

'Dare,' Draco smirked.

Sophie grinned, 'Transfigure your clothes into the Gryffindor school uniform, and stay like that for the rest of the game.'

Everyone laughed as Draco did so, looking out of place and frankly ridiculous in the Gryffindor colours.

'Truth or dare Sophie?' Daphne asked her friend.

'Truth,' Sophie said with a slight smile.

'How many people in this room have you slept with?' Daphne asked with a smirk.

Sophie rolled her eyes, 'Three,' she mumbled. It was fairly obvious those three were Draco, Theo and Blaise.

'Weasley, truth or dare?' Susan asked Ron.

Ron looked wary, 'Uh, truth,' he opted for.

'Wimp!' Theo retorted.

'Alright, who was the first person you slept with?' Susan asked.

Ron cringed and looked warily at Hermione, she narrowed her eyes at him, 'Go on then Ron…'

'Lavender Brown,' Ron blurted.

'Oh, you bastard,' Hermione swore, 'you told me you didn't sleep with her!'

'Because I knew you'd react like this! Ouch!' Ron exclaimed as Hermione hit Ron and the others sniggered.

'Susan, truth or dare?' Hermione asked the Hufflepuff.

'Truth,' Susan said, 'I'm working my way up to a dare.'

'Have you ever slept with more than one guy at the same time?' Hermione asked with a smirk, 'and if so, who?'

'Hermione!'

'Oh loosen up and have fun Ron,' Hermione said, making Harry and Neville share an amused grin.

Susan smirked, 'Well…I haven't slept with two _guys _at the same time, but I have slept with a guy and a girl at the same time. Wayne Hopkins and Sally-Anne Perks,' she said, they were both Hufflepuffs who had been in their year at school.

In amusement the game moved onto the next person in the circle, 'Truth or dare, Theo?' Daphne asked.

'Truth,' Theo said simply.

'What's the funniest thing you've ever seen happen at a Slytherin party?' Daphne asked.

Theo smirked and glanced at Draco, 'Draco getting asked if he had to sleep with one guy out-with Slytherin who it would be, and answering Harry Potter.'

Draco glared at his best friend, 'You bastard! You said you'd never tell anyone that!'

Harry raised an eyebrow at Draco, 'When was this?'

'6th year,' Theo replied in amusement.

'Well that explains so much,' Harry teased.

'Fuck off Potter,' Draco remarked as Daphne was crying with laughter next to him.

'Truth or dare Potter?' Theo asked, still laughing.

'Truth,' Harry said, he wasn't brave enough to risk a dare.

Theo smirked, 'Who was last person you slept with?'

Harry cursed inwardly, he was so drunk his brain forgot to remind him that if he came out in front of Neville everything would be fucked up, so he said, 'Charlie Weasley.'

The reactions were varied, something along the lines of 'I knew you slept with Charlie!' came from Susan and Daphne.

A squeal came from Hermione, and sniggers came from Draco, Theo, Blaise, Sophie and Tracey.

'You fucked my brother!?' Ron exclaimed.

And then came the worst one. It was quiet, it was disbelieving, and it was the voicde of someone who was very hurt, 'What?'

Harry cringed, unable to look at Neville.

'So you _are _gay then,' Theo said in amusement, 'I called it, didn't I Blaise? At Daphne's last get together.'

Blaise nodded and Ron asked again, 'Seriously, you fucked my brother?'

'I've seen your brother, I think it's more likely he was fucked _by _your brother,' Draco said matter of factly.

Ron grimaced, 'Too much information Malfoy! Harry I can't believe you never told me!'

'Charlie told me not to,' Harry said, 'it was just a one night stand, after that stupid memorial ball!'

'I'm going to call it a night. Bye guys,' Neville said as he got to his feet, 'I'll see you at the start of next year.'

'Neville, wait!' Harry said as he got to his feet and followed Neville to the door, but he was too slow and Neville had already apparated by the time Harry got outside.

Susan hurried down the stairs after him, 'Did you miss him?'

'Yeah,' Harry said miserably.

'He'll have gone to his flat,' Susan said, 'I know the address.'

Harry glanced over at her, 'I don't think he'll want me there.'

'You'll never know unless you go,' Susan said with a shrug, she told Harry the address and went back into the building.

Harry sighed, wandering into an alley by the building. Until the point he actually spun on his heel he wasn't sure if he was going to his flat or Neville's, but then he made up his mind.

When he appeared in the dodgy part of London Neville lived in, Harry made quick work of entering his building, scaling 6 floors and knocking on his door. There was no answer, and no movement on the other side of the door.

Harry began to wonder if Neville was even here, and then he heard a shuffle. The chain on the door came off, and the door was pulled open.

'What do you want, Harry?' Neville asked dryly.

'I need to talk to you Neville, let me in please,' Harry practically begged.

Neville stood back from the door and let Harry into his flat which had a double bed, a sofa, and a table in one room then a small kitchen and a door leading to a bathroom, and nothing else.

'Yeah we don't all live in luxury like the great Harry bloody Potter,' Neville said as he shut the door angrily.

'I know why you're angry Neville,' Harry said, 'and I should have told you but-'

'But what? I'm your partner, you keep telling me I'm your best friend yet I'm the only person who didn't know,' Neville said bitterly.

'That's not true,' Harry said, 'Blaise, Theo and Sophie didn't know.'

'But everyone else did, Ron, Hermione, Daphne, Susan, even Draco and Tracey!' Neville shouted.

'Tracey only knew because I paid her to be my girlfriend. I was dating Justin Finch-Fletchley, she was my cover,' Harry said.

'You're that closeted you needed to _pay _someone to be a cover?' Neville spat, 'wow Harry, I didn't think you'd sink that low.'

'Neville, you don't understand-'

'I UNDERSTAND JUST FINE HARRY!' Neville roared, 'I understand what it's like to hate yourself because you're not what people expect you to be! I understand what its like to be embarrassed about yourself! To never fit in! I understand that just fine because I am in the exact same situation as you.'

'No, you aren't,' Harry said quietly, 'it's more complicated than that.'

'Because of the press? Right, I heard what you said in the kitchen. I'm as much a war hero as you are, I have that problem too. I have to hide who I am from the world, from my superiors at training!' Neville said angrily, 'it's the same Harry!'

'No!' Harry shouted, 'it isn't! You don't understand Neville!'

'Then make me understand!' Neville shouted in anger and frustration.

'You didn't know, and everybody else did,' Harry said, breathing heavily, 'work it out you stupid prat! Why do you think you're the only person who didn't fucking know?'

Neville's eyes widened and Harry nodded, 'Got there in the end have we? It only took a year.'

Neville was silent, and Harry turned away from him. Unable to face his rejection, this was it now. There was no turning back from here, although Harry was pretty good at memory charms these days.

'Harry.'

Something in Neville's voice made Harry turn around, and when he did he was surprised at what he saw. Neville didn't seem angry or annoyed, or sympathetic, he seemed...confused.

'Look Neville, I'm sorry…that was stupid alright, we're drunk, let's just pretend this whole thing never-'

Neville cut Harry off as he crossed the short distance between them and crashed his lips onto Harry's. Unlike his kisses with Justin and Charlie, this was frantic and hard, and full of passion and _emotion. _Harry physically couldn't focus on the implications of this because he had wanted it for so bloody long, all he could think about was Neville, his taste and his smell and the way he felt.

Harry moaned slightly as Neville's tongue slipped into his mouth, he could feel the smirk on his partners lips and for some reason that turned him on even more. He was so immersed in Neville, his hands gripping the back of his head, and his body pressed so close to his that Harry didn't even notice that he was slowly edging them backwards. Not until Neville pushed him onto the bed, Harry didn't have time to react as Neville straddled him, claiming his lips again now they had gotten a moment to catch their breath.

As their bodies pressed together Harry groaned, and he heard Neville do the same. Even through thick jeans they could feel how much they wanted each other, and Harry had never felt anything like it before. It was completely unique.

'Neville,' Harry gasped as the taller man began to undo Harry's trousers, 'are you sure you want to do this?'

Neville smirked, 'Harry, I've wanted to do this since 6th year.'

Harry laughed weakly and he managed to take his brain out of the situation for a while as his mind became a haze filled with kisses, and strong grasps and Neville. It was only when he opened his eyes to find Neville straddling him, both of them in nothing but boxers that Harry realised what this meant.

'Neville,' he said again, 'seriously, the implications of this-'

'I know what the implications are,' Neville murmured as he kissed Harry, 'but I don't care.'

'You're just saying that cause you're drunk,' Harry said, looking in Neville's eyes where passion was burning.

'No, I'm not,' Neville said, his voice strong and free of any teasing, 'I took a sober-up potion the moment I got home. I'm saying it because I mean it. The implications, that's something that can be worked out in the morning.'

Harry didn't know why but his words made sense, even though they were the opposite of everything that had been running through his head for the last little while. He nodded and when Neville kissed him again, pressing himself down against Harry, and when Harry moaned loudly, any thoughts of the implications were erased from his mind.

* * *

When Harry woke up his first thought was that he wasn't in his own bed. He was however in a very comfortable bed, probably the spare one in Ron and Hermione's flat. He stretched out and smiled, he didn't have a hangover, and he had just woken up from a very pleasant dream where he and Neville had-

'Harry, are you awake?'

Harry opened one curious eye which widened at the sight before him, 'Oh…right.'

'What?' Neville asked in confusion from where he was lying next to Harry.

'So that happened then,' Harry said, trying to get that straight in his mind.

Neville laughed, 'That implies you've dreamed about it before.'

Harry's cheeks flushed.

'Yeah,' Neville said in amusement, 'it happened, _all _of it.'

'Bloody hell,' Harry muttered as he sat up and frowned, 'oh shit…fuck…this is…bugger.'

'Very eloquent,' Neville remarked, 'I assume you're refer to training?'

Harry nodded, trying to figure out where the hell they went next.

'It can be a one-time thing, if you want?' Neville said, but Harry could tell he was praying he said no.

Harry shook his head, 'No, it's not becoming a one-time thing. No way.'

'Then we have to separate, as partners,' Neville said, 'that's the only choice.'

'Can't we just keep it under wraps?' Harry asked hopefully, 'stay partners for as long as possible?'

Neville frowned, 'Do you think we could pull that off?'

'Given a couple of lessens from Draco on hiding stuff, I think so,' Harry said, and Neville chuckled.

'If we can just buy ourselves some time, Hermione will find a loophole,' Harry said hopefully.

'You know that won't happen, the Auror rules have been designed to not have loopholes,' Neville said, the disappointment he was feeling clear in his voice.

'Hermione once told me every law has a loophole, some are just harder to find than others,' Harry assured Neville.

Neville hummed and said, 'it's worth a shot.'

Harry nodded as Neville rolled onto his stomach to get closer to Harry, 'Morning, by the way.'

Harry laughed, 'Morning,' he said with a smile, he still couldn't quite believe this had happened.

'So, last night,' Neville said with a raised eyebrow, 'that was a bit of a shock.'

'Yeah,' Harry agreed, 'I didn't know you felt the same.'

'I thought you were straight,' Neville joked.

'Really? I was shit at hiding it,' Harry said through his laughter, 'everyone else knew.'

Neville shook his head, 'Yet I didn't, and I'm the gay one who spends every day with you.'

They both laughed at how ironic it was, and somewhere in the midst of their laughter and the fact they were laughing so hard they were crying, they somehow ended up kissing. The fact it was the morning, and the fact they were both naked made that kiss which could have been innocent, turn into much more as Harry rolled on top of Neville and their skin tingled as their bodies pressed together.

'I am _so _glad this happened now, not while we were at the training centre,' Neville mumbled against Harry's lips.

'Hmm, me too,' Harry said, 'means we can spend all day in your bed, which is so much comfier than Justin's by the way.'

'Do you really wanna talk about Justin right now?' Neville asked with a raised eyebrow.

'Nope,' Harry said, capturing Neville's slightly swollen lips, 'I definitely don't wanna talk about him,' he mumbled as Neville deepened the kiss.

* * *

'Harry.'

Harry looked around from where he was making bacon and eggs topless in Neville's kitchen, 'yeah?' he asked.

Neville smiled, still amused that Harry was cooking, even though this was Neville's flat.

'You remember in the battle…how you died?'

'How can I forget?' Harry joked as he took the food off the hob and wandered into the living room/bedroom.

Neville smiled slightly, 'Well, I thought you were dead…and I gave this speech.'

'I know,' Harry said softly, 'I heard it, it meant a lot to me Nev.'

Neville smiled, 'It was the truth.'

'Do you know why I jumped up and showed him I was alive?' Harry asked as he sat down on the edge of the bed.

Neville shook his head and Harry confessed, 'He set fire to you, and I knew if I let you go on much longer he'd kill you. I did it to create a distraction, so you'd be alright. I saw you as I ran away under the cloak…I saw you kill the snake.'

'That was what you wanted,' Neville said softly, 'and I knew what you were doing. I knew you didn't intend to come back.'

'You saw right through me when I said I wasn't turning myself in,' Harry said thoughtfully, 'you know Neville, when I was going to that forest I genuinely thought I was going there to die. I didn't say goodbye to Ron or Hermione, not even to Ginny…but I did to you, I saw you and something made me pull the cloak off, I had to.'

Neville's eyes widened and Harry smiled, 'The thing is, I've always felt different about you than Ron and Hermione. I used to think it was because of our parents, because we had that in common. But I get it now, finally.'

Neville grinned and kissed Harry again, with as much passion and fervor as he had before. Harry laughed into the kiss and pulled away, Neville said, 'I knew what you were doing, I knew you intended to die to save us but I didn't stop you because I knew nothing I could say would change your mind.'

'Which is why you're perfect for me,' Harry said, 'because as it was that was a nice goodbye, it was in the small gestures.'

Neville smiled, 'You remember the small gestures?'

'You grabbed my wrist,' Harry said as he caught Neville's eye, 'almost like you didn't want me to go, but you knew I had to. You understand me Nev, you always have.'

'That was exactly how I felt,' Neville admitted, 'but I learned a long time ago that trying to stop Harry Potter from doing something he has his mind set on is just pointless.'

Harry laughed, 'I meant what I said to Theo you know. What you did in the final battle…I hope you're proud because I sure as hell am, and I know your parents would be too.'

Neville's eyes got a little watery, 'I am proud,' he said, 'I'm finally who I want to be, even if I can't share it with the world.'

'At least we've got the best group of friends in the world to share it with,' Harry said as he got up from the bed.

'Yeah,' Neville agreed, a mischievous glance in his eye, 'and I get to be Harry Potters dirty little secret. Not everyone gets to say that.'

Harry grinned and muttered, 'I wouldn't say _little _secret…'

Neville grinned back as Harry wandered back into the kitchen, 'Hey Nev, you got any ketchup?'

'Top shelf of the left cupboard,' Neville called back, and they both smiled. This felt so normal, and more right than anything with anyone else in their lives ever had.

They were both thinking the same thing; why hadn't this happened sooner?

_**TBC :)  
**_


	17. Karaoke Chaos

**An Unexpected Predicament**

**Chapter 17 - Karaoke Chaos  
**

After spending the entire weekend with Neville at his flat, Harry had to get back to the real world. He had promised George and Ron that he would help out at the shop, so Monday morning found him hauling boxes around the basement of Weasley's Wizards Wheezes.

The shop was fairly quiet because it nearing closing time, Harry was doing stock checks when he heard the door open. There was the mumble of conversation and then he heard George's voice say, 'he's just doing stock in the basement, go on down.'

Harry frowned as footsteps descended the stairs, he recognised from them who the person was and he smirked.

'Hey Nev,' Harry said when the footsteps stopped at the bottom of the stairs.

'How'd do you know it was me?' Neville asked from a little bit behind Harry.

'Recognised your footsteps,' Harry said in amusement as he turned around, 'what brings you here?'

'I just came by to ask what your opinion was on telling people,' Neville said in amusement, 'I bumped into Susan today and I wasn't sure what to tell her.'

'What did you tell her?' Harry asked curiously.

'Nothing,' Neville admitted, 'she guessed a lot, some of her guesses were…intriguing, shall we say?'

Harry laughed and Neville added, 'I wouldn't mind trying a couple mind you.'

Harry shook his head in amusement, 'I don't mind a set few people close to us knowing, let's just make sure we only tell people we trust.'

'Just as well you trust us Harry,' George said as he stepped out of the wall, 'because we've been listening to the whole thing in our new secret office through that fake wall there.'

Ron chuckled as he emerged from the wall too, 'Wasn't much of a surprise mind you after you ran out after him at the party on Saturday.'

'Yeah George, you're so trustworthy,' Harry joked.

George grinned, and Ron said, 'So it's official then?'

'Official-ish, don't tell anyone,' Harry said in amusement, 'we don't want the press finding out, or our superiors at training.'

'Can I tell Hermione?' Ron asked.

Harry shook his head, 'I think she'll kill me if I don't tell her myself.'

'We can stop by and tell her when you're finished work, if you want?' Neville suggested.

Harry nodded, 'Yeah, let me just finish these stock checks.'

'Come on Neville,' George said, ushering Neville to the fake wall, 'let us show the tricks of the trade.'

'You offering me a job?' Neville joked.

'Well if you want one we could always use summer staff,' George said brightly, 'as long as you and Harry don't start snogging in the basement.'

Harry laughed as they disappeared through the wall, a summer of working at the shop with George, Ron and Neville sounded amazing. This was all so…perfect, and Harry wanted to enjoy it while he could because come the 1st of August things would get complicated again.

* * *

When Hermione opened the door and saw Harry and Neville on her doorstep she eyed them suspiciously, 'Come in…'

'You don't have to look so suspicious, Hermione,' Harry said, kissing her on the cheek as they walked into the flat.

'You're in a very good mood,' Hermione remarked.

'Well I did just spend all weekend at my _boyfriend's _place,' Harry said nonchalantly.

Hermione grinned, 'Finally! Oh thank Merlin, I told you he felt the same Harry!'

Harry and Neville shared exasperated looks as she hugged them both and beamed, 'I'm so glad you finally get to be happy!'

They all sat down in the living room and Hermione asked, 'So what happens now? I mean you can't be Auror partners and be together, can you?'

'Not according to the rules,' Neville said.

'Which is kind of what we wanted to talk to you about,' Harry admitted, 'could you have a look and see if there are any loopholes, at all?'

Hermione frowned, 'I'll try, but the Auror code will be pretty tight.'

'I know,' Harry said, 'but it's at least worth a shot, right?'

Hermione nodded, smiling slightly, 'I'll do my best,' she promised, 'so are you two official?'

'Not really,' Harry said, 'we don't want the press to know.'

'So who does know?' Hermione asked curiously.

'At the moment, you, Ron and George,' Harry told her.

'Oh, no. Bill knows too,' Hermione piped up, 'Charlie told him about your…uh night together, and obviously you were at Sunday lunch together, so he pieced it all together.'

Harry rolled his eyes, and Neville said, 'we're planning on telling Daphne and Susan too, and maybe Olivia. But nobody else.'

'What about Molly and Arthur? And Percy, and Ginny?' Hermione asked.

Harry shook his head, 'I know Molly and Arthur's opinion on it, they're the reason Charlie went to Romania, they couldn't cope with it. Percy's an asshole, I wouldn't trust him to keep it to himself, and Ginny…I don't think she'd react great to that news.'

Hermione nodded, 'Yeah, I suppose you're right. So you're still going to stay as training partners?'

'We're going to try and keep it under wraps,' Neville said, 'but it's going to be pretty tough.'

Hermione nodded sympathetically, 'I bet,' she agreed, 'but all the same, I'm really happy for you both.'

* * *

'Do you like karaoke?'

Harry frowned and looked at Neville in the mirror as he buttoned up his shirt, 'Uh, I've never done it…why?'

Neville grinned, 'Because the bar where we're meeting the girls is a karaoke bar. I just thought I'd give you a heads up.'

'Karaoke?' Harry asked in disbelief, 'whose idea was that?'

'Susan's,' Neville said with a smirk, 'If I didn't know any better I'd say the great Harry Potter is scared of karaoke.'

'The 'great' Harry Potter is not scared of karaoke,' Harry challenged his fellow Gryffindor, 'and you should probably get dressed, unless you fancy turning up like that.'

Neville's grin widened as he got to his feet, 'You're changing the subject.'

'You're naked.'

'And you're still changing the subject,' Neville pointed out as he grabbed some clothes from his wardrobe, 'you're doing karaoke tonight.'

'Only if you get me ridiculously drunk,' Harry retorted.

'Deal,' Neville said with a wide grin.

Harry shook his head, he couldn't believe he was actually doing this. Just like he couldn't believe he and Neville were together, and had been for a week now. This past week he'd been happier than he could ever remember being. It even trumped those last golden days with Ginny before the war. He had spent every moment he could with Neville, whether that was working together at the shop, or at Neville's flat, or his flat. They had yet to tell their fellow trainee-Aurors about the new development, but that was tonight's job.

'We do have an hour until we need to meet them,' Neville said slyly.

Harry grinned, 'I know what you're thinking.'

'And that grin tells me you agree,' Neville smirked, dropping the clothes he was holding and swiftly pinning Harry down on the bed.

'They'll know.'

'Who cares?' Neville asked, 'they'll suspect anyway.'

'True,' Harry said, and as Neville captured his lips in a kiss he gave up any attempts at thinking logically or sensibly. Instead he moaned quietly and pulled Neville closer to him, 'You're going to have to move faster than that, we only have an hour.'

He felt Neville grin against his neck, 'Is that a challenge?' he whispered, sending shivers down Harry's spine.

Harry resisted the urge to moan and replied, 'Yes, it is.'

'Challenge accepted,' Neville said, his voice deep with lust.

* * *

'We're going to be late.'

'Whose fault is that?' Harry retorted as they left Neville's flat together.

'Yours technically,' Neville pointed out, 'you challenged me.'

'I didn't force you to accept it,' Harry teased, 'see you there.'

Neville chuckled in amusement as Harry spun on his heel and vanished. Neville did the same, appearing next to him in an alley in London outside the karaoke bar where they were meeting Susan, Daphne and Olivia. They walked in and saw the girls immediately, they were all dressed up sitting at a table close to the stage.

When they reached the table Harry felt a tug in his chest. This was all going to change at the start of next year. He and Neville would be caught, and all of this would come to an end.

'I've missed you guys,' Harry said with a smile as he kissed them all on the cheek, 'how much longer till we get to go back?'

'7 weeks and counting,' Susan grinned.

Neville chuckled and he and Harry sat down at their table.

'Well, that's why I wanted to ask you guys here today,' Daphne said with a sly smile, 'by the time we go back to Auror training I'll be Recruit Malfoy…'

Harry grinned, 'That's great! How did you thwart his marriage to your sister?'

'We didn't kill her if that's what you're thinking,' a smooth voice said from behind them as Draco swooped in and sat down at their table, 'but we did happen to find a criminal conviction which she is now being sentenced for. Since she's spending 2 months in Azkaban it cancels the contract.'

Neville smiled, 'Well even if your methods were a little unethical, I'm happy for you both.'

Daphne's smile was wide, 'Thanks Nev. The wedding is just going to be a small thing in France, but you're all invited.'

'France?' Harry said, 'well I'll definitely be there. I've never been to France.'

'So will I,' Neville said with a smile, 'Harry and I sort of have news of our own…'

Susan grinned, 'I knew it! When did it happen, after Daphne's party?'

Harry nodded sheepishly, 'Well once he actually knew I was gay things were a lot easier.'

Draco snorted and asked, 'What are you going to do now? You can't be together and be Auror partners, can you?'

'No,' Harry said, that familiar tug returning, 'but we'll work something out. We have nearly 2 months after all.'

The air had suddenly gone a bit tense, Neville frowned, Harry stiffened up at every mention of Auror training.

'Drinks!' Olivia said, 'to celebrate everyone's happy news!'

After that the drinks got flowing, Harry and Draco got teased for being 'posh' and drinking scotch while the others were on beer or vodka. It was a Muggle establishment, so they had to be careful what they said, but they had fun. Auror training was talked about throughout the night, stories told and then sometime around 10pm the karaoke began.

Susan went up first, and the others all cheered as she took the microphone and started her version of 'Dancing Queen' by Abba.

Draco chuckled, and Harry said, 'I'm surprised we're here. I mean Susan and Olivia are Half-bloods so that doesn't surprise me. But you and Daphne?'

'Daphne likes Muggle culture,' Draco explained, 'and when you're dating someone whose sister you're supposed to be marrying the best place to go on secret dates is the Muggle world.'

Harry chuckled at Draco's smirk. It was what he had done with Justin after all, to try and make sure nobody found out. He considered it with Neville, but he knew it was going to be harder to keep this one quiet. That tug in his chest pulled at him once more.

Susan's song finished and she pulled Olivia up onto the stage. Olivia was beautiful, but relatively shy although she had drunk quite a lot tonight. With Susan's red hair and Olivia's tanned skin and dark hair, Harry couldn't help but think that if you threw Daphne in the middle they'd make a good girlband.

'Daph, come on!' Susan said, and with a laugh Daphne joined them on the stage.

Harry chuckled at the song they picked, 'Never Ever' by All Saints. His knowledge of Muggle songs, television programmes and films was limited to the Dursleys because those were the only Muggles he ever saw since nobody had talked to him at primary school. In the 90's he's been at Hogwarts mostly, but he remembered summer holidays and that included Dudley singing along to All Saints and Aqua in his bedroom when he thought nobody was around.

'They're pretty good,' Neville said to Harry as they watched the girls dancing around the stage and getting cheered by the Muggles.

'Daphne wanted to be a singer before she wanted to be an Auror,' Draco said in amusement.

'She could have been,' Harry said, 'she is good, they all are.'

'You any good, Potter?' Draco remarked.

Harry scoffed, 'I don't sing.'

'You really think Daphne and Susan are going to let you get away with not singing all night?' Draco asked with a raised eyebrow.

'I'm the better Auror,' Harry joked.

'This is a Muggle establishment, there's nothing you can do,' Neville said with a grin, 'you can sing, I've heard you in the shower singing that song you're always singing.'

'What song is he always singing?' Draco asked with a sly grin.

Harry's cheeks went red, 'Neville won't know it,' he said quickly, 'it's just some Muggle band my Aunt Petunia used to put on the CD player when she was doing the garden.'

Draco dropped the subject, but Harry had a feeling that wasn't the end of this. The girls came down from the stage after their song and had a few drinks while some Muggles went up and sang terribly.

'Come on Draco,' Daphne said when nobody else was going up on stage, 'let's do a duet.'

Draco rolled his eyes but let himself be dragged onto the stage.

'Can he actually sing?' Olivia asked curiously.

'No idea,' Susan replied.

Harry sniggered, 'He's quite good.'

'How do you know?' Neville asked in surprise.

'Quidditch showers,' Harry said in amusement, 'the walls are very thin.'

Neville laughed out loud, 'What sort of stuff did he sing?'

'Oh I didn't know it, wizarding stuff mostly. The Weird Sisters, stuff like that,' Harry said.

'Well I wonder what Muggle song they're going to sing,' Olivia said, turning to the stage as Daphne selected a song.

Harry and Neville laughed when they heard the song. It was one that had only come out in November last year, and as the training centre wasn't the same as Hogwarts with Muggle technology, it had been playing constantly in the common room. Susan had brought a Muggle radio with her, and Daphne had brought a wizarding one, so depending on what was on they listened to both and Harry had seen and heard Daphne singing along to this duet more than once.

'_I've been wandering around the house all night, wondering what the hell to do. Yeah I'm trying to concentrate but all I can think of is you.'_

They sounded good together and Harry, Neville, Susan and Olivia cheered.

'_The phone don't ring cause my friends ain't home. I'm tired of being all alone. Got the TV on cause the radios playing songs that remind me of you.'_

As the chorus started Susan and Olivia joined in.

'_Baby when you're gone, I realise I'm in love. Days go on and on. And the nights just seem so long. Even food don't taste that good. Drink ain't doing what it should. Things just feel so wrong, baby when you're gone!'_

They cheered them off and Daphne was laughing as they sat back down. Then the guy in charge of the karaoke called Harry and Neville up, and Harry glared vehemently at Draco.

'Neville said that song you sing is called 'I Can't Fight This Feeling',' Draco grinned.

'Come on,' Neville chuckled, 'if we do it once they'll leave us alone.'

Harry felt his cheeks get even redder as he and Neville walked up onto the stage. The guy had introduced them as best friends doing this for a laugh. Harry had downed his drink before going up, and he decided that he would have fun with this. Pretty much everyone here was a Muggle who didn't know him anyway.

The song started and Harry and Neville were already chuckling before the words even began. It wasn't really a duet song, but it was split on the word machine, which meant Harry had to sing first.

'_I can't fight this feeling any longer. And yet I'm still afraid to let it flow. What started out as friendship has grown stronger. I only wish I had the strength to let it show.'_

Draco looked like he might hurt himself from laughing so hard, and the others weren't much better. Still chuckling Neville began his first part.

'_I tell myself that I can't hold out forever. I say there is no reason for my fear. Cause I feel so secure when we're together. You give my life direction, you make everything so clear.'_

Harry laughed, _'And even as I wander, I'm keeping you in sight. You're a candle in the window on a cold dark winter's night. And I'm getting closer than I ever thought I might.'_

They both sang the chorus together, and Harry found that he was actually having some fun with this.

'_And I can't fight this feeling anymore.' _

Draco, Daphne, Susan and Olivia were now swaying and waving theirs hands in the air.

'_I've forgotten what I started fighting for. It's time to bring this ship into the shore, and throw away the oars forever. Cause I can't fight this feeling anymore! I've forgotten what I started fighting for. And if I had to crawl upon the floor, come crashing through your door…baby, I can't fight this feeling anymore.'_

They were laughing, but they both knew deep down the song had significance to what they had gone through recently. As it ended and they left the stage to cheers and laughter Harry smiled around at his friends. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had so much fun.

* * *

When there was a knock on his door that night well after midnight Harry was alert in seconds. A knock on the door was never good news, especially not at this time on a Saturday night. He carefully slipped out of his bed, and Neville was so out of it he didn't wake up. Harry threw his dressing gown on and padded barefoot across the living room, yanking the door open.

He frowned when he saw Senior Auror Sumner at his door.

'What's happened?' He asked immediately.

Sumner sighed, 'Potter. I was out this evening, at a karaoke bar, with my wife Eliza. She's a Muggle, you see.'

Harry's face fell, 'We were just-'

'No,' Sumner said, 'I know what's going on Potter. But you and Longbottom are both too good to lose. In the wake of this war we need the best we can get, we're severely understaffed.'

'What are you saying, sir?'

'What I am saying, Potter,' Sumner said, 'is you need to make a decision. What's more important to you, being an Auror, or Longbottom?'

Harry was silent.

'You need to make a decision, because either you tell me right now you intend to end this or I go to the training centre tomorrow and inform the board of this. You know what that means?'

'We get separated as partners?'

'No,' Sumner said darkly, 'you get thrown out. I know this isn't illegal, but it's taboo in our world. And there is a clause written in the contract you signed at the start of your training which states that if you have a relationship with a fellow trainee we are authorized to end your contract as we see fit.'

Harry tried to wrap his head around that. He couldn't have it all, of course he couldn't, he was Harry Potter. There was always a catch in his life.

'So what's it to be Potter?'

'I'll end it,' Harry said quietly.

Sumner placed a hand on Harry's shoulder, 'The decision you've just made, is a very wise one son.'

Harry nodded, 'Thank you sir, for not reporting it straight away.'

Sumner just nodded, 'Now I ought to get home. You have a good summer Potter.'

Harry could only nod as he shut the door on Sumner and locked it. He turned around and felt his heart shatter at what he saw behind him. Neville was sitting on the sofa looking at him with a blank expression on his face.

'Neville, I can explain-'

'I'd like to see you try,' Neville said coolly.

'How much did you hear?' Harry asked, his heart pounding in his chest.

'Enough,' Neville replied.

'I know how this looks, but you have to understand. I need this job, it's my future, it's all I've ever wanted to do. I care about you Neville, I really do but I can't give this up,' Harry said quickly.

Neville didn't say anything as he fixed Harry with that cool stare that looked more suited to Draco Malfoy than him.

'Actually screw everything I've just said,' Harry said with a shake of his head, 'I've never known what I wanted to do, I've never fitted in. But this is the only thing I'm good at, I don't know what else I can be. I don't know where I would be without this.'

Neville was still silent.

'Nev, say something,' Harry said weakly.

Neville cleared his throat, 'I suppose it's to be expected,' he said quietly, 'you could never be happy living a normal life. How did I ever expect this to last really? Here's me happy enough to be a teacher later in life and settle down. You're not like that Harry, you never have been and you'll never want a quiet life.'

'Of course I want a quiet life after all that's happened to me,' Harry said.

Neville shook his head, 'You might say that but you're lying to yourself. You are attracted to dangerous situations and people. You don't run away from danger Harry, you run into it. I was okay with that during the war, but I can't live that way. The fact you'd give up me, for a job as an Auror only proves that I'm right.'

'Neville, I don't know what I want. I've never had any time to think about it, all I've ever done is follow orders, whether they were Dumbledore's, or the Orders…that's all I've ever done. All to kill Voldemort, and now he's gone I don't know what to do,' Harry said, unaware of the tears in his eyes until they slid down his face and dripped onto his feet.

'You have a choice now, Harry. Me or the job. You have to think about it now, and if you're not sure then you need to figure out what it is you really want,' Neville said coolly.

'I don't know Neville!' Harry shouted, 'I didn't want any of this to happen! I wanted a normal life, that's all I ever wanted, parents and siblings and a family with Ginny! I didn't want any of this, I didn't want to be like _this_.'

'This?' Neville practically hissed, 'Like me you mean?'

'You don't understand!' Harry snapped.

'Don't I?' Neville shouted as he lost his temper, 'I don't have parents or siblings either!'

'At least yours aren't dead!'

Neville laughed bitterly, 'No, but they might as well be! They don't even know who I am, lying there fucking comatose! I wish the Lestranges had just done the job probably and finished them off!'

They stood there, staring each other down and breathing heavily.

'At least you had somebody, a Grandmother. That's more than I ever had,' Harry said quietly.

Neville shook his head, unable to look at Harry, 'Maybe you don't want to be this way, but as far as I can see you can't change it. So what are you going to do, marry Ginny and fake your way through life?'

'That's all I ever did at Hogwarts, faked happiness,' Harry shrugged, 'can't be too hard to do it for the rest of my life.'

Neville took a deep breath, but Harry wasn't looking at him. His eyes were firmly fixed on his feet, 'You do that Harry. But I won't, I'm not content to be your secret forever. One day I'd want the world to know, and clearly you don't.'

Harry didn't say anything, and the air was incredibly tense, 'I'm sorry.'

'No, you're not,' Neville said coolly, 'and you're not much of a Gryffindor either if you're so afraid of what other people will think of you.'

'You don't have as much to lose as I do,' Harry said, still looking at the floor, 'the press would eat me alive.'

Neville laughed darkly, 'I miss the Harry I went to Hogwarts with. The one who didn't give a shit about the press. Where did he go, huh?'

'He died in that forest, Neville,' Harry said, looking up to fix Neville with a cool glare. He was surprised by how close Neville had gotten, he hadn't even heard his footsteps moving closer but he was now standing directly in front of Harry.

Harry looked him in the eye and was startled by what he saw there. Anger, hurt, betrayal, sadness. He didn't have much time to dwell on it however because the next thing he knew Neville was swinging his fist at him. He shouted in pain as his nose crunched and blood gushed down onto his dressing gown.

'Pity,' Neville said simply, 'he was the guy I fell in love with.'

Without another word he stepped over Harry and yanked open the door, slamming it shut behind him.

**TBC :)  
**


	18. Who are We?

**An Unexpected Predicament**

**Chapter 18 - Who are We?  
**

Harry had gotten a lot of strange looks walking through London at 2am on a Sunday morning. He had changed into Muggle clothes after Neville had left, after he'd dragged himself from the floor. He was in agony, and he was fairly sure the first aid charm he'd used to stop the bleeding from his nose hadn't worked very well. Then again, first aid never had been his strong point.

The walk was only half an hour long, even though he had been dragging his feet. But Harry hadn't trusted himself to apparate in the state he was in. Instead he trudged through the mostly empty streets and occasionally took a swig from the hipflask in his pocket that Ron had given him for Christmas.

When he eventually reached Ron and Hermione's flat, Harry was physically and mentally exhausted. He lifted his hand to the door and knocked hard, he knew he'd been waking them from their sleep.

He heard footsteps along the hall and then the door opened. He looked up, expecting to see Hermione because Ron never woke up in the middle of the night no matter how loud the noise was. However he didn't expect to see Ginny standing there in a scarlet and gold dressing gown, her hair pulled up into a loose bun. She was a sight for sore eyes, and he had to resist the temptation to run into her arms and let things be easy, rather than the way they were.

'Why is it that you're always covered in blood?' She sighed.

'It's my own this time,' Harry said weakly.

'Who is it?' Hermione's sleepy voice said from the hallway.

'It's Harry, and he's covered in blood,' Ginny said, stepping aside to let him in. Ginny had of course finished school now, but he hadn't expected to see her at Ron and Hermione's flat.

'Harry!' Hermione exclaimed, 'what have you done?'

'And is that a broken nose?' Ginny asked with a frown.

'I don't think it's actually broken, but it bloody hurts,' Harry said, touching his nose tenderly and hissing in pain.

'Mione,' Ron's voice called from the bedroom, 'who is it?'

'Your best friend, and he's covered in blood,' Hermione called back, glaring at Harry.

'I'm your best friend too,' Harry pointed out in an attempt at sarcasm.

Ron padded into the hall in lounge pants, and there they all were, standing in the hallway. Harry missed it so much, he missed Ginny so much. After the war he'd wanted new and different, now all he wanted was her and her sarcastic manner and her familiarity.

'What's going on?' Ron asked with a yawn.

'Neville punched me,' Harry said.

Hermione narrowed her eyes, 'Do you want me to fix it for you?'

Harry shook his head, 'No,' he said, walking into the living room and sitting down heavily on the sofa. The others followed him in, and Harry reached out his hand to Ginny, 'Sit with me, I need to explain something to you.'

Ginny nodded, sitting down next to Harry and conjuring a wet cloth, 'Will you at least let me clean you up?'

Harry nodded as Ron and Hermione sat down on the other sofa in the small living room. He winced as Ginny touched the towel to his nose, 'Numbing charm please,' he said through gritted teeth.

'Sorry,' Ginny said as she uttered the charm and continued to wipe away Harry's blood.

'I was in a relationship…with Neville,' Harry blurted out.

'You're gay?' Ginny asked, dropping the cloth in surprise.

'I don't know,' Harry said honestly.

Ginny frowned, 'But you broke up with me, so was that because you thought you were then?'

'Yes, and no. We sort of broke up with each other, didn't we?' Harry asked with a sigh, 'are you still dating that Williamson guy?'

'No,' Ginny said with a slight smile, 'he was too boring for me.'

Harry couldn't help the smile that broke across his face at that, 'Fuck, ow!'

'Don't smile so much,' Ginny said through her laughter, 'I'm not good enough at numbing charms yet.'

'You could have warned me,' Harry said as the pain shot through his face in waves.

'Why were you smiling anyway?' Ron asked suspiciously.

Harry shook his head, 'You're addicted to danger, aren't you Ginny? You could never live a completely ordinary life.'

'You're kidding me right? I've just been accepted into trauma healing, does that sound ordinary to you?' Ginny asked in amusement.

Harry smiled, like him she was addicted to danger, and adrenaline. Unlike Neville who wanted his ordinary life and his little cottage in the Scottish Highlands or some idyllic crap like that.

'Anyway, you have to elaborate Harry. You had a relationship with a guy, but you're not gay?' Ginny asked.

'Two guys,' Hermione pointed out, 'Justin, remember?'

'Finch-Fletchley?' Ginny asked, dropping the cloth for a second time.

'Justin was an experiment,' Harry said, 'to see if I was gay. But considering the only other date I had to go on was Lisa Turpin, I don't think it confirms anything.'

Ginny winced, 'Lisa Turpin? Jeez, that could turn any man gay. Whose idea was that?'

Hermione cringed, 'Mine. I know, but I thought any girl would work.'

'No,' Ginny said with a roll of her eyes, 'you should have tested it with a girl he was actually attracted to, physically.'

'Like Cho, why didn't I think of Cho?' Hermione asked, shaking her head.

Harry cut in, 'Look the point is, yes I did date Justin for a few months. And then Neville and I sort of hooked up and kind of dated for a week. But that's it in the way of guys.'

'I think you're forgetting someone,' Hermione said pointedly.

Ginny frowned, and Harry grimaced, 'Okay, so there were three guys.'

'Who was the third?' Ginny asked suspiciously.

'Charlie,' Ron said darkly.

Ginny's jaw dropped, 'You slept with my brother?'

'It was an accident!' Harry said quickly, 'we were both drunk after the Ministry ball, and depressed about the war and it just…happened.'

Ginny sighed, 'Well I knew he was gay, but I can't believe you slept with him. Are you sure it's only three, is there anyone else you forgot you slept with?'

He ignored the irritated tone of her voice and said, 'It's just three.'

'Well let's compare it. You've slept with me, how many other girls have you slept with?' Ginny asked casually.

'Ginny!' Ron exclaimed in horror.

'It's just sex talk Ron, if you're so bothered you can leave the room,' Ginny said casually.

'Well he's slept with at least one more woman,' Ron said with a pointed look at Hermione, 'did he seem gay to you Hermione?'

Ginny's eyes widened, 'When did that happen?'

'During the war when your arse of a brother abandoned us for 2 months,' Hermione said offhandedly, 'and no,' she added as her cheeks turned scarlet, 'he did not seem gay.'

'Not when you were with me either,' Ginny said with a smirk, 'and I assume you don't just suddenly turn gay so you're probably bisexual.'

'Ginny!'

'Merlin, Ron! It's not a big deal,' Ginny said with a glare in her brother's direction, 'don't you know what goes on in the girls dorms in Gryffindor tower?'

Ron turned to Hermione with a mixture of horror and surprise on his face. Her blush deepened and Harry choked out a laugh, crying out in pain as he did so.

'I really recommend that you let me fix this. It's practically broken, if you want to be all Dumbledore and leave it that way to remind you of the pain or whatever, that's fine. But if I leave it like this you'll be in pain for at least a month,' Ginny said matter of factly.

Harry just smiled at her.

'What?' She asked with narrowed eyes.

'Nothing, I've just missed you,' Harry said honestly, 'go ahead and fix it.'

Ginny smiled slightly and went about it with her healing charms, Harry shut his eyes briefly, hoping for some peace now.

'So why did Neville punch you?' Ron asked, far more awake and alert now.

Harry's eyes snapped open, 'Uh, it's a long story.'

'We're all awake now,' Hermione said as she got to her feet, 'I'll put the coffee on.'

Ron followed her into the kitchen, complaining that since he was awake he needed a middle of the night snack.

Harry smiled weakly, and looked at Ginny, 'You're really not bothered about this whole guy thing?'

Ginny shook her head, 'I know it's taboo in our society, but we're blood traitors anyway Harry. Nobody gives a shit about what my family does.'

Harry frowned, wincing in pain as he did so, 'Wait…what?'

'You're not the only one whose experimented with both sexes,' Ginny said simply, 'When you and Hermione...hooked up, would you call it in the war?'

Harry nodded guiltily, and Ginny continued, 'Well I sort of did too. While you were away.'

'Oh,' Harry said in surprise, 'right. Um, do I know her?'

'Probably,' Ginny said with a smile, 'she was in your year, and she wanted to be an Auror.'

Harry frowned, wincing again as he remembered it hurt to do that, 'Susan?'

'No,' Ginny said as she finished up the healing spells, 'Daphne Greengrass.'

'Daphne?' Harry asked in disbelief, 'as in Daphne from training who is getting married to Draco Malfoy this summer?'

'The same one,' Ginny said with a smile, 'she helped us out, brought us food to the room of requirement and stuff like that. We agreed to not tell anyone, I was going to tell you but then we never had time to get ourselves right in the aftermath of the war.'

'No,' Harry agreed, 'we didn't. I'm surprised she didn't tell me though.'

'I doubt she's even told Malfoy,' Ginny said simply, 'and I don't know how similar it was to you and Neville's thing. There were feelings involved, and in the end it just wasn't going to work regardless of how we felt. She's a Pureblood, I'm a blood traitor, she has to marry well and produce an heir and all that crap.'

'Well, she's really in love with Draco,' Harry said, 'if that helps.'

Ginny nodded and smiled, 'I'm happy for her. Tell her that next time you see her.'

'Sure,' Harry said with a slight smile, 'Neville and I…there were feelings there and I fought them for months before anything even happened. We're so similar, and we've both had shit lives, and we have similar senses of humour. I care about him, but he wants a normal life with no danger and I can't live that way.'

'Of course you can't,' Ginny said, 'and anyone who settles down with you should know that. The way you grew up Harry, you wouldn't know what to do with yourself in an ordinary job. I think it's great you're channelling this lust for danger into doing something that could save hundreds of lives.'

'I think I probably loved him, Gin,' Harry admitted, 'but I can't live that way. I could never be open about it, I could never have a family. I'll always need danger, and when our Senior Auror found out that we were together he gave me a choice, my place at training or Neville.'

'And you picked the job,' Ginny said.

Harry nodded, 'Neville heard the whole thing, we fought and he punched me.'

'Heartbreak isn't any different if it's between two men, or a man and a woman you know,' Ginny said, 'it's just like any other break-up, you love each other but you want different things.'

'That's true,' Harry said slowly.

'Do you know what marriage is about, Harry?' Ginny asked calmly as she mopped up the last of the blood and got rid of the bloody cloth.

Harry shook his head, and Ginny smiled at him, 'It's about finding someone who you love, who you are attracted to physically. It's finding someone you're compatible with, who shares your goals for life. It's not about lust and passion, that's what flings are. Marrying someone, that kind of love, it's spending the rest of your life with your best friend.'

Harry stared at her in amazement, 'I don't see myself spending the rest of my life with Neville.'

'Then he's not the one,' Ginny said simply.

'Gin… when did you get so…wise?'

'The war did change me Harry,' Ginny said quietly, 'you didn't see it straight away, but it did.'

Harry could only nod as Hermione came back into the room and handed both Harry and Ginny steaming mugs of coffee. Harry tore his eyes away from Ginny and explained the whole thing to Ron and Hermione.

He told them about the karaoke bar, and Sumner showing up at his door. He told them how he chose the job and how Neville punched him then left. Once he had finished explaining Hermione asked with a frown, 'Are you going to try and fix things with him?'

Harry shook his head, talking to Ginny had made everything clear in his head, 'No. We tried to make something more than friendship and it didn't work. Just like things would have ended had you and I tried to make anything more of what happened between us in the war, Hermione.'

'So that's it? You two are done?' Ron asked.

Harry nodded, 'I cared about him, but it wouldn't have worked. He wants quiet and peace, and I want danger, and a family. It's a nice dream, but this is the real world.'

Hermione smiled sadly, 'Well Harry, I think you've just had your first heartbreak.

'Oh, I don't know,' Ginny said gently, 'Cho was fairly bad for you, wasn't it?'

Harry nodded absentmindedly, 'Cedric's death just messed so much up in that relationship. But yeah, it wasn't easy. This is worse though, this hurts worse, I feel like I've…betrayed Neville.'

'Well you haven't, and in time you'll both see that,' Hermione said, as she put her now empty coffee mug down on the table, 'and I expect once this has all cooled down you'll salvage a friendship.'

Harry nodded weakly, he was going to miss Neville. He was going to miss joking around with him, he was going to miss duelling by his side. He was going to miss the way things were. But that wasn't enough to make him change his mind, it wasn't enough to make him give up his place at Auror training or make him go running back to Neville.

'Refill anyone?'

Harry shook his head, 'I'm exhausted Hermione, I'd better get home.'

'No, don't be silly,' Hermione said, 'stay here.'

'But Hermione, Ginny's staying in the spare room,' Ron pointed out sleepily.

'It's okay,' Hermione said with a smile, 'they can share.'

Ron looked from Hermione to Ginny in confusion, 'What?'

'They've been making eyes at each for the last hour Ron for Merlin's sake,' Hermione said with a slight smile.

Ron's jaw dropped, 'Oh no, not in my flat-'

'Our flat,' Hermione cut in, 'Harry, you can share the spare room with Ginny. Go before I change my mind.'

Harry chuckled as he got to his feet and ambled in the direction of the spare room while a heated argument began in the living room between Ron and Hermione. Ginny walked with him, having remained silent throughout the previous conversation.

The moment they were both in the small room she pushed the door shut and placed a silencing charm on the room, 'Just in case,' she said with a mischievous smile.

Harry smiled and gently touched his nose which was now thankfully painless. He looked in the mirror and saw that it still looked slightly broken, but at least all the blood was gone. When he turned around he saw that Ginny was looking at him.

She hadn't changed much since the last time he had seen her, perhaps matured a little more but she was still much the same. Her bright red, wavy hair fell in strands from the loose bun she'd thrown her hair into. Her hazel eyes seemed to sparkle with mischief and fun, and playfulness. Her freckled face was slightly tanned, and he could not stop his eyes from wandering down, following the freckles on her neck until they disappeared into her dressing gown. He snapped his eyes back to her face and crossed the room to her, wordlessly he reached out for her and his hands found her face. He looked at her for a moment before he closed the gap between them, capturing her lips in a chaste kiss.

He brushed his lips over her soft ones, and she parted them slightly, granting him access. He didn't hesitate to deepen the kiss, and she moaned softly as he did so. He pulled her closer to him, and let himself get lost in her. Everything about it was soft, and sweet. It was so different from the feel of Neville's lips, with his permanent stubble. It was enjoyable, and it was enough, Harry convinced himself of that.

Maybe it wasn't Neville, or Justin. Maybe it was just him, maybe he'd needed to find himself, to figure out who he was. Neville had told him to figure out what he wanted, who he wanted. Harry was doing that, he wanted Ginny, he wanted what he and Ginny could have; a family. But Harry hadn't been able to see that after the war because he hadn't known who he was, or what his purpose was anymore. He'd tried to slip back into things with her, but he couldn't because he wasn't the same and neither was she. But now, thanks to Justin and Neville, Harry _had _found himself. He knew who he was, what he wanted, and what he stood for.

It felt like they were meeting each other for the first time. They weren't Harry Potter, and Ginny, Ron's little sister meeting awkwardly at a train station. They weren't even Harry and Ginny kissing in a flurry of passion after a Quidditch match. They were Harry Potter, the trainee Auror, and Ginny Weasley, the trainee trauma surgeon meeting as adults who had gone through a lot of pain but had come out strong, and different.

'Harry,' Ginny said breathily as she broke the kiss, 'are you sure?'

Harry nodded, 'I've been so stupid Gin,' he said, resting his forehead against hers, 'I've been out in the world trying to find out what I want, and it's been right in front of me. I just couldn't see it after the war because I was different, and you were different but now-'

'It feels like we're meeting for the first time,' Ginny finished.

Harry was shocked, so shocked he couldn't even nod. Ginny just grinned and caught his lips again, throwing her arms around his neck and sliding her tongue into his mouth. Harry couldn't help himself after that, the first kiss had already caused the first twinges of arousal and with Ginny now pressed up against his body there was no hiding the fact he was definitely still turned on by women. But he had to work hard to suppress the thoughts of Neville, and the few precious sweat-filled nights they had shared. They flashed through his mind, like the unwanted flashbacks of the war that had plagued him and he knew that as much as he was enjoying this, it lacked the passion and lust he and Neville had. He remembered Ginny's words, passion and lust were for flings, not necessarily relationships, and that was enough to force Neville out of his head for the time being.

In one swift motion Ginny's dressing gown fell to the floor, and Harry ran his hands down her bare back. She pressed herself against him, and her cold hands trailed down his back. She was completely naked.

'Ginny,' he whispered against her lips, and she chuckled against his. In a flash he had her pinned down underneath him on the double bed in the spare room. She chuckled, 'Well you've gotten less awkward,' she whispered.

'I swear you've gotten hotter,' Harry said as his eyes raked her in. She lay there underneath him, slim and pale and covered in freckles.

'You're just used to hairy men,' Ginny teased, and just as quickly as Harry had pinned her down she had flipped them around so she was straddling him. She grabbed her wand from the bedside table and with one flick Harry was as naked as she was.

'You just can't handle not being in control, can you?' Harry joked.

Ginny grinned, 'You've never complained before,' she said as she caught his lips and rocked her hips against him. Harry groaned as she did so and gasped her name. They heard Ron shout through the door, 'You better not have sex in my spare room!' and they laughed loudly, aware he couldn't hear them.

'Bit late for that,' Ginny whispered, catching Harry's eye. He grinned when he saw the playful glint there that he had once loved so much. But before he had time to think anymore on that, or on anything, Ginny moved her hips ever so slightly and Harry moaned loudly as he gently raised his hips and moved in time with her. His breath caught in his throat, and before he completely lost control he managed to moan her name.

* * *

'So I think it's safe to say you still enjoy sleeping with women,' Ginny said calmly as she lay naked and sweaty next to Harry whose chest was still heaving from the exertions of the evening.

'I'd say so,' Harry said breathily, 'because that was great,' and it was the truth. Physically the sex had been bloody fantastic.

Ginny grinned sleepily, 'Glad you thought so.'

'I've missed you Gin,' Harry said as he wrapped his arms around her and threw the duvet cover over them, 'I didn't realise how much until today.'

'Neither did I,' Ginny said honestly, looking up into his green eyes with her hazel ones, 'but I think we needed that time apart to grow and find ourselves. We needed to do that alone, I think.'

'But at the end of it we still wind up here,' Harry said, 'so I'd say that means we've grown and found ourselves, and we've found that we still want each other.'

'This situation definitely points to that,' Ginny said as she chuckled. Harry smiled, holding her close. They were silent, and Harry felt himself begin to drift off to sleep. He was hovering in that blissful land of emptiness between dreams and reality when…

'Harry, can I ask you a question?'

He opened one eye and glanced down at her, 'Mmhmm,' he said sleepily.

That mischievous glint flickered in Ginny's eyes as she said, 'I have to ask. When you were with Justin, and Neville, were you the dominant one or…' she let the sentence hang there.

Harry looked at her in disbelief and embarrassment, 'Why do you want to know that?'

Ginny was so calm about this, she shrugged, 'Well when we have sex sometimes you like it when I do what I did there. And then other times you're completely in control, which is really hot by the way.'

'If I tell you, you're spilling the secrets about you and Daphne,' Harry said, once more fully awake and alert.

Ginny grinned, 'Deal,' she said, holding out her hand to Harry who took it cautiously and shook it.

'So, top or bottom?' Ginny asked with a wicked grin.

'Uh, well with Justin I was on top,' Harry said, blushing furiously, 'and with Neville I…wasn't.'

Ginny laughed, 'Sorry Harry, I just find it hard to believe Neville was the dominant one,' Ginny said through her chuckles,

Harry shook his head in amusement.

'And I do not have to ask whether you were top or bottom with Charlie,' Ginny said as she giggled, 'I'm pretty sure I can guess.'

'Ginny!' Harry practically squealed as his cheeks turned so red he thought he probably looked like a tomato. She just giggled all the more and kissed him lightly on the lips.

He looked at her in admiration, 'Nothing fazes you, does it?'

'Not much,' Ginny said, 'but you know I lose my temper easily. I'm just very accepting, we never cheated on each other, and we never hurt each other. So I don't have anything to be angry about.'

Harry smiled and pulled her closer, 'I really missed you,' he murmured into her neck as he finally succumbed to the sleep he was so desperately craving.

_**TBC :)  
**_


	19. And They All Lived Happily Ever After?

**An Unexpected Predicament**

**Chapter 19 - And They All Lived Happily Ever After?  
**

The following morning when Harry and Ginny walked into Ron and Hermione's kitchen they were under instant scrutiny.

'Good morning,' Ginny said as she flicked back her long red hair and sat down at the kitchen table, conjuring herself a bowl of cereal and a spoon.

Ron narrowed his eyes at her.

'Morning,' Harry said cheerfully as he wandered barefoot into the kitchen, his hair a mess and his glasses slightly skewed.

'Oh bloody hell,' Ron said with a shake of his head, 'did you two have sex in my spare room?'

'Our spare room, Ronald,' Hermione said as she walked into the kitchen with a smile on her face, 'and they are both adults. You can't stop them from having sex.'

'But it's _my _spare room!'

'It's _our _spare room,' Hermione corrected him as she put the kettle on.

'Well she's _my _sister!' Ron said.

'She'd be my sister too if you'd hurry up and propose,' Hermione said casually.

Ron choked on his coffee and spat it out, Harry and Ginny shared amused glances.

'Wait, what?'

Hermione only smiled at Ron, sitting down next to Ginny at the table.

'Are you saying you want me to propose to you?'

'Merlin, Ron. Could she have been more obvious?' Harry asked with a grin.

Ron shook his head in disbelief and glared at Harry, 'Oi, shut up you. You've just shagged my sister, you can't judge!'

Harry snorted in amusement, and Ron asked offhandedly, 'So are you two together again now or what?'

'Considering the fact Harry has only recently worked out he's not gay it's kind of more complicated than that,' Ginny said sarcastically as she got to her feet, 'and it's also none of your business.'

'You shagged in my spare room, that makes it my business,' Ron said, narrowing his eyes at his sister.

Ginny smiled innocently at him, 'Well I'm not telling you anything. I need to get going anyway, I've got a flat viewing this morning.'

'Good, you can get out of my hair,' Ron said, and Hermione shook her head at him, 'shut up Ron. Good luck with it Gin.'

Ginny smiled, and Harry got to his feet too, 'I need to leave too. I've got to get home, I'll walk you out Gin.'

Hermione rolled her eyes as Harry chucked on his shoes and jacket and left swiftly with Ginny.

* * *

The moment they were outside Harry said tentatively, 'Look, Ginny. I need to say something.'

Ginny smiled knowingly at him, 'Say it then.'

'Don't look at the flat,' Harry said simply, 'come away with me somewhere until you need to start your training and before I need to go back for mine.'

Ginny raised an eyebrow, 'You want me to just run away with you?'

Harry nodded, 'Just me and you, all summer. That's what last summer was supposed to be, but it was different after…' he trailed off, but she nodded. She knew what he meant, after the pain, after the deaths, after the funerals.

'Well, I don't have anything better to do this summer,' Ginny said with a slight smile, 'but,' she added, 'what about you and Neville? From what I hear you left on bad terms.'

Harry nodded thoughtfully, the familiar guilty feeling rose in his stomach when he thought about Neville, 'I'll go by his flat and explain to him. Say goodbye, you know?'

'Are you sure?' Ginny asked.

Harry reached out and took her hand, 'I'm sure,' he said, leaning forward and capturing her lips in a kiss. When he pulled away he said, 'You best be packed by tomorrow night. How do you fancy Africa? I've got a charity that I support there, it teaches poor orphaned Witches and Wizards how to fly.'

Ginny smiled widely, 'It sounds…perfect,' she said honestly.

'Good,' Harry said, bouncing with happiness, 'we'll leave tomorrow at 9pm,' he kissed her once more and then spun on his heel, vanishing from sight. The last thing he saw was her grinning face, and it made him smile too.

Then he remembered that he'd have to visit Neville. He'd have to see Neville which he knew would bring up all the feelings, he'd have to say goodbye. It had been good, it had been passionate. But it wouldn't have lasted, it couldn't have.

* * *

When Harry knocked on Neville's door there was no answer. When he performed a charm to check if there was anyone in there, it came up blank. So Neville really wasn't in, he wasn't just avoiding answering the door. Harry sighed and went home where he wrote a letter to Neville.

On the 6th draft it was finally ready. It finally said what he wanted it to say in the right way.

'_Neville,_

_I'm sorry for the things I said last night. I know they were hurtful, but my temper tends to get away with me. Not that I'm saying that justifies what I said, because it doesn't. I took your advice, I thought about what I wanted and I found myself. You're right, I do need danger and I need an adrenaline rush. I need someone who is okay with that, someone who is as addicted to danger as I am._

_I care about you, and I think I probably always will. What we had was passionate, and fun, but it couldn't have lasted. Not when you ultimately want a quiet life at the end of the day, and I will never be able to live that way. I'm not training as an Auror to do it for a couple of years so I can get experience and become a teacher, not like you are. I'm doing it because I love it, I want to keep doing it until I die. If that's in the field then so be it, and if it's not then I want to die as Head of the Department._

_I never told you that I was a hatstall. I was nearly a Slytherin, and I'm ambitious. I can't change that, but I need somebody who will accept that, who will embrace it. You and I were exciting, but we weren't compatible. You're okay with the world knowing about you, but I'm not and that isn't because of fear or embarrassment, it's because I want a relationship that the press isn't constantly trying to find information on._

_You're more comfortable in your own skin than I am, Neville. You're the confident one, but I'm much more of a Slytherin than a Gryffindor when it comes to love. Someone once told me that you know it's love when you can imagine your future together, when you find someone who is your best friend and who has the same goals as you. That's just not us._

_Please write to me when you get this, or we can meet up. I don't want things to be left the way they are at the moment._

_Harry.'_

With a reluctant sigh Harry sent the letter off with his owl, and sank down into the sofa. He had played with so many hearts, and hurt so many people in this past year. Was finding yourself always this difficult?

_KNOCK KNOCK._

Harry was on his feet instantly, he yanked the door open and smiled slightly when he saw Luna, 'Hey Luna,' he said.

Luna smiled at him, 'Hello Harry. I saw Ginny today, she told me you two were going to Africa so I brought you this.'

Harry took the offering which seemed to be some sort of bottle lid on a metal chain, 'What is it?' he asked.

'It wards off evil African spirits,' Luna said brightly, 'I gave Ginny one too.'

'Great,' Harry said fondly as he put the chain around his neck, 'thanks Luna. Do you want to come in?'

'No, I can't,' Luna said with a wave of her hand, 'I'm leaving for Brazil.'

'Brazil? What are you doing there?' Harry asked curiously.

'Oh, I'm going with Neville. He's going to study the plants while I study the creatures,' Luna said happily.

Harry smiled slightly, 'Great, well when you see Neville can you tell him that I sent him a letter, and that I'm sorry?'

Luna nodded, 'Sure! Bye Harry, have fun in Africa!'

'We will, bye Luna,' Harry said, waving and shutting the door. He sighed, well Neville was going to Brazil, and Harry would go to Africa with Ginny. By the time they got back to Auror training time and distance would hopefully have cooled things off enough for them to be able to stand being around each other.

* * *

**_6 WEEKS LATER_**

'Harry, what do you think of this one?'

'It's nice,' Harry said with a nod as he lay on his stomach on the bed.

'Harry,' Ginny said in a mixture of amusement and exasperation, 'you're not even looking at me.'

Harry looked up and grinned, 'You are not going in that,' he said.

She was standing in front of him wearing nothing but deep green lace underwear.

'It's the right colour for a Slytherin wedding,' Ginny joked as Harry pulled her onto the bed and kissed her, 'I bet Daphne would enjoy it.'

'Oh she probably would,' Ginny said casually, 'but at this rate I will be going like this because you haven't looked at any of my options.'

'Sorry,' Harry said apologetically, kissing her gently on the lips.

'What's wrong?' Ginny asked, getting to her feet and holding up two dresses, a dark red one, and a deep green one.

'Well the wedding we're going to today is someone I met at training,' Harry said pointedly.

'Ah, so Neville will be there then?' Ginny asked.

Harry nodded, 'Yes, and by the way I prefer the red one.'

'Perfect,' Ginny said, putting the green dress back into the wardrobe. She transfigured the colour of her underwear then slipped the dress on, 'you know if I didn't know you any better I'd say you were scared of seeing your ex-boyfriend.'

Harry rolled his eyes as he got to his feet and zipped up the dress, 'Scared? You wish,' he said, kissing her neck.

Ginny chuckled and turned into his embrace, 'You better get dressed Potter, we're leaving in half an hour.'

'What am I wearing?' Harry asked as he flicked through the wardrobe.

'Well you should at least try to match me,' Ginny said, 'do you still have the black robes with red cuffs and hem?'

'You remember them?' Harry asked in surprise, 'I only wore them once, for that ball after the war.'

Ginny smiled slightly, 'I have a good memory, just get them on or we'll be late.'

'It's not my fault if we are,' Harry said, pulling the robes out of the wardrobe and getting dressed, 'you were the one who insisted on morning sex.'

Ginny laughed loudly, 'Only to distract you from how miserable you were this morning!' she called as she left the room.

* * *

'This is exciting, I've never seen France before,' Ginny said as she and Harry walked along a country lane arm-in-arm following the signs saying 'Daphne &amp; Draco's wedding'.

'Don't expect much,' Harry said, 'Daphne said it's just a little wedding at her familys holiday cottage.'

'It will still be pretty,' Ginny said, the weather here was gorgeous and the sun was beating down on them. The wedding was outside, so it was a good day for it.

'Since when do you like pretty things?' Harry joked, remembering Bill and Fleurs wedding.

Ginny laughed, 'I don't like overly sweet like Bill and Fleurs wedding was. This is nice, an outdoor summer wedding in France. It's very romantic.'

Harry grinned as they turned the corner and the 'little holiday cottage' came into view. Ginny snorted, 'this is little?' she asked, taking in the three storey wooden lodge.

'I suppose in the Slytherins eyes it is,' Harry said in amusement. It was pretty luxurious for a small, quickly planned wedding. He slipped his hand into Ginny's as they walked through the gate and were greeted by a tall, dark haired guy who looked around their age.

'Hey Ginny, didn't expect to see you here,' he said as he hugged her.

Ginny laughed, 'Hey Theo, I'm here as Harry's plus one.'

'The great Harry Potter, huh?' He joked, and Harry knew he remembered him from the few of Daphne's parties that they had met at.

Harry shook his head, 'I know we never really hit it off, but stick to Harry,' he said, holding out his hand to the guy.

Theo smiled and shook his hand, 'Cool. Well, I'm the best man. Come on, I'll show you to the tent.'

They followed him to the back of the house where a large marquee was set up with chairs laid out inside. It reminded Harry of Bill and Fleur's wedding, he laughed, 'There are about 100 chairs there, and this is their idea of a small wedding?'

'It's a Pureblood wedding,' Ginny pointed out, 'this _is _small. Normal Pureblood weddings have between 500 and 1,000 guests.'

'Seriously?' Harry asked in disbelief, 'how can anyone know that many people?'

Ginny laughed loudly as they walked into the marquee. Theo made his way back to the gate and Harry looked around, everyone was milling around talking to each other at the moment, but Harry didn't see Neville thankfully.

'Oh, look there's Susan,' Harry said, tightening his grip on Ginny's hand and leading her to the green-eyed redhead, 'hey Susan!'

Susan smiled and said, 'Harry! Hi!' she hugged him and then glanced around, 'Uh, where's Neville?' she asked under her breath.

'Not with me,' Harry said simply, grateful that Olivia joined them before Susan could ask anymore questions. With her was none other than her brother.

Harry hugged her and kissed her on the cheek then shook Oliver's hand, 'What are you doing here, Oliver?'

'He blackmailed me into inviting him,' Olivia said, glaring at her older brother, 'he has a crush on the Maid of Honour.'

'Who's the Maid of Honour?' Ginny asked.

'Tracey Davis,' Olivia said with a smirk.

'He must have some pretty good blackmail on you,' Harry joked.

Olivia nodded grimly, and Oliver grinned as they slipped back to their seats

'So, Harry. Why aren't you here with Neville and where have you been all summer?' Susan asked.

Harry shot her a glare, 'I've been in Africa, with Ginny.'

'So you just ran away to Africa after dumping your-'

'Muffliato,' Harry muttered, putting the charm up just in time for Susan's final word 'boyfriend' to be muted so that the other guests wouldn't hear. He glared at her, 'Susan, please shut up. We'll talk about this some other time.'

Susan glared back at him, and then things got even more awkward.

'Potter.'

Harry turned and couldn't believe his eyes when he saw who Neville's date was.

'Longbottom,' Harry said with a nod.

'I believe you've met my boyfriend, Justin Finch-Fletchley,' Neville said, he was arm in arm with Harry's ex.

Harry tried not to scoff, 'Hey Justin,' he said politely.

Justin smiled, 'Hiya Harry.'

'Well I think you all know my fiancée, Ginny,' Harry said, he was still holding her hand and as he lifted it up her diamond engagement ring sparkled on her wedding finger.

'Fiancée?' Susan mouthed in disbelief.

'Yeah, congratulations,' Neville said darkly.

'Uh, I think we should find our seats,' Ginny said, grabbing Susan by the arm and dragging her away from them.

'Awkward,' Ginny muttered to the other redhead.

'Are you sure they aren't going to have a threesome?' Susan joked, glancing back to the three men.

'Well enjoy the wedding,' Harry said with a nod, 'I'll see you…later.'

Neville didn't say anything, and Justin just nodded. Harry followed the girls to their seats in the 5th row and breathed a sigh of relief when he sat down between Ginny and Susan.

'What the hell is that about,' Harry hissed to Ginny, but he knew Susan was listening, 'Harry Potter's exes united?'

Ginny had to try very hard to muffle her laughter at his comment, and Susan grinned in amusement. Although Harry could tell she was pissed off that he had broken up with Neville, and that she hadn't been informed of it yet.

They settled down, and thankfully Neville and Justin were a few seats away from Harry and Ginny.

* * *

The wedding ceremony was lovely, and Harry was thankful Ginny wasn't one of those girls who cried at weddings. It was similar to Bill and Fleur's with the traditional wizarding vows, but not anywhere near as sickly sweet.

When it was over they were all led into the house for the meal and thankfully Harry and Ginny weren't at the same table as Neville. They made small talk with Susan throughout the meal, and then when everyone was finished they went upstairs into a ballroom and Ginny scoffed about how 'small' and 'low profile' this wedding was.

'Mr. Potter?'

Harry turned around, Ginny had just gone to find a table by the dance-floor and Harry was left standing around awkwardly.

'Mrs. Malfoy,' Harry said in surprise.

Narcissa Malfoy smiled ever so slightly at him, 'Ms. Black, please Mr. Potter. My husband is a convicted criminal after all.'

'Of course,' Harry said politely. He had known that, and he had also noticed Lucius Malfoy's absence.

'I wanted to thank you, Mr. Potter,' Narcissa said, 'if it were not for you I doubt my son would be here today, and this day would not have happened.'

'Call me Harry,' Harry said with a smile, 'and you don't need to thank me. I should thank you, I would never have left that forest alive if it weren't for you.'

'Yes, well I have always put my son's wellbeing before anything else. Do not fool yourself into believing it was more than a selfish act,' Narcissa said.

'Selfish or not, I'm thankful,' Harry said honestly, 'and I'm happy for Draco today. I know we haven't always gotten on, but I'm happy he's on a good path.'

'And I am sure Daphne will keep him on it,' Narcissa said with a glance to the happy couple.

'I don't doubt it,' Harry said simply. Speaking of the happy couple, they were now approaching Harry and Narcissa.

'Mother, Harry,' Draco said, glancing between them, 'I wasn't aware you knew each other.'

'We're only acquaintances,' Harry said honestly, 'Congratulations by the way!'

Draco nodded politely and Daphne smiled, 'Thanks Harry. I'm so glad you could make it, although I was surprised to see you turn up with Ginny.'

'A lot happened over the summer,' Harry said, aware of the presence of Narcissa.

'Clearly,' Draco said with a raised eyebrow.

At that moment Ginny returned with the drinks and Harry was saved from an awkward situation as Draco steered Daphne away from them to talk to some other guest.

'What was that about?' Ginny asked as they sat down by the dance-floor.

'Nothing,' Harry said, 'I was just saying congratulations.'

Ginny frowned 'Are you sure? You seem kind of distracted Harry.'

Harry shook his head and pulled his gaze away from Neville and Justin who were sitting across the dance-floor talking in whispers. He felt this tug in his gut upon looking at them and he knew fine well it was jealousy but he was trying hard not to acknowledge it. Ginny and he laughed together, and they were going to have an amazing life together, a family. That was everything Harry wanted, and regardless of how he felt about Neville that was the way things were going to be. Yet in the back of his mind there was this voice that corrected him. He said to himself 'going to be', but he really meant '_had to be'_.

'I'm fine Ginny, I'm just not much of a lover of weddings,' Harry lied with a false smile.

Before Ginny could respond to that someone approached the table, 'Do you mind if I borrow her for a dance Harry?' Oliver Wood asked.

'Of course not,' Harry said with a tight smile, he knew what was going on here. He wasn't stupid. Ginny got up to dance with Oliver and seconds later Susan had taken a seat next to Harry.

'Nice plan, getting Oliver to ask Ginny to dance so you could talk to me alone,' Harry said scornfully.

Susan glared at him, 'Well I think I deserve an explanation! You and Neville left training as a happy couple and now you're engaged to Ginny! What the hell happened Harry?'

'Sumner was there that night at the karaoke bar,' Harry snapped, 'he found out about Neville and me. He told me to end it or lose my place at training so I ended it.'

'Wow, that shows where your priorities lie,' Susan said darkly.

'I've never wanted to do anything else Susan, I wasn't giving that place up and if I had it wouldn't have been long before the prophet caught wind of why,' Harry said quietly.

'So it's all about your image then at the end of the day. That's why you're marrying Ginny, to save face and look good to the public. Right?' Susan asked bitterly.

'No, I'm marrying Ginny because I can have the life I want with her. I can be an Auror, I can have a family. I could never have that with Neville, and she knows that. I told her everything,' Harry said solemnly.

Susan shook her head, 'Yes you could have. You know you could have, but it's easier with Ginny. Didn't a wise man ever say that you should always do what is right over what is easy?'

'Dumbledore said a lot of things,' Harry said irritably, 'but I don't have to follow his rules anymore. Ginny and me are happy, isn't that enough?'

'No, it's not enough,' Susan said boldly, 'because you still have feelings for Neville, and he still has feelings for you. You're jealous he's here with Justin and you're miserable because you want him to be here with you instead. You've barely looked at Ginny since he arrived.'

'That's not true,' Harry scoffed.

'It is and you know it is Harry,' Susan said as she got to her feet, 'at the very least you should talk to Neville. You owe him an explanation, a _proper _one, if you have one that is.'

Before Harry could say anything else Susan had stalked off in the direction of Olivia, and Harry groaned as his eyes strayed to Neville and Justin. As he looked over he caught Neville's eye and they both looked away very quickly. This was more awkward than the post-Cho years.

'Seriously Harry what is going on with you?' Ginny asked irritably.

'Nothing,' Harry snapped, 'sorry, I'm fine I just…do you want to dance?'

Ginny frowned but let him lead her onto the dance-floor and pull her close, 'this is about Neville isn't it?'

Harry sighed and didn't say anything for a moment as they moved around the floor, 'Yeah.'

'You still have feelings for him then?' Ginny asked, sounding hurt.

'Of course I do,' Harry whispered, 'but people can have feelings for more than one person you know.'

'Harry,' Ginny said, drawing back to look at him, 'is this more than just seeing your ex with someone else?'

Harry shouldn't have done it, but in that moment it felt like the right thing to do so he lied to her, 'No, it's just that. I'll be fine tomorrow.'

Ginny didn't look entirely convinced so he smiled at her and pulled her in for a kiss.

* * *

Harry didn't want to stay long, but Ginny was having a good time and he didn't have the heart to tear her away from the party so Harry weathered the storm for her. He tried not to get jealous as he watched Neville and Justin dance together, but he did. That dragon, the one that had raised its ugly head when he saw Ginny with Dean together during their Hogwarts days, well it was back with a vengeance. When Ginny went off to dance to a popular Weird Sisters song with Susan and Olivia, Harry slipped out into the smokers area. Smoking in the wizarding world was pretty rare, and mostly restricted to cigars so it was empty which suited him just fine. By the regulations of Auror training he wasn't allowed to have any dependency on any drug, including cigarettes and alcohol so he knew he'd have to kick this bad habit before he went back. It had started up at the start of the summer, he'd convinced himself it was Africa, but he knew it was Neville.

Harry sighed in relief as he took the first drag of the cigarette, Ginny didn't badger him too much about it. But Hermione hated it, she kept telling him it would be impossible to stop before Auror training, but he knew he could do it, he just needed to be bothered to start and as of yet he hadn't been. For now it helped relieve the stress, the stress of balancing two mind-sets all at the one time. By one, Ginny was his right choice, the way forward, the key to the life he wanted. On the other hand, Neville was just what he wanted, if he had no restrictions or considerations he knew who he would choose.

Harry shut his eyes and leant against the wall, trying to gather his jumbled thoughts together. He heard someone else walk out, heard the click of fancy shoes on the concrete floor. Heard a sigh, an oddly familiar sigh and then he heard the sound of a cigarette being lighted. He opened his eyes as Neville leant against the wall next to him, keeping his eyes focused firmly ahead.

'Since when do you smoke?' Harry asked in surprise.

'Since when do you?' Neville countered.

Harry shrugged, 'Bad break-up.'

With the hint of a smile Neville said, 'Same.'

'Funny that,' Harry said, slipping already back into the way they had been, it was easy, too easy, 'we can't go on like this you know, Neville.'

'I know, but I don't think I can quite forgive you yet,' Neville remarked.

'I don't expect you to,' Harry said honestly, 'I mean how can you forgive someone who can't forgive himself?'

'Well you might not have forgiven yourself, but you've certainly moved on,' Neville said.

Harry didn't say anything to that, he just nodded.

'Engaged, just like you wanted. Normalcy, a family…' Neville trailed off, 'and yet you're out here smoking, and not acting at all like a man who should be glowing with happiness.'

'Neville, fuck off,' Harry said bitterly.

Neville raised his hands, 'I didn't say a word,' he mumbled although he did still have his cigarette in his mouth.

'Yeah well your subtext was pretty fucking loud and clear,' Harry muttered.

'Well I just wanted to make it clear that this isn't a game,' Neville said as he put out his cigarette, 'you can't just take somebody's heart and play around with it for a bit then get bored and drop it.'

'That wasn't what I wanted to do Neville,' Harry said irritably.

'Really? Because first it was Ginny, and then me, and now it's Ginny again,' Neville said hotly, 'this isn't a game for you to play to figure out if you want to fuck men or women!'

Harry rolled his eyes, 'You know, I'm bloody tired of how backwards the wizarding world is. In the muggle world there's a term for wanting to fuck men and women, its called being bisexual and it's pretty bloody normal!'

'Yeah well you're not a Muggle,' Neville retorted angrily, 'that's the problem, you're an adrenaline, danger seeking idiot!'

'And you're not?' Harry spat, 'You're smoking too, you know why that is don't you? You'll never be happy being a bloody teacher, you need the rush, the adrenaline. You've missed it this summer, that's why you started smoking.'

'You don't fucking know me Harry!' Neville shouted angrily, 'you just ran off with Ginny to Africa and came back with some stupid notion of getting married to save yourself in the eyes of the fucking press! You don't get to judge me anymore, you lost that right!'

'Neville, grow the fuck up-'

'No!' Neville remarked, 'you grow up Harry. Grow up and realise that all Ginny is to you is a bloody incubator for those kids you want so much! You don't love her, and you're using her because you don't want the prophet to call you gay, you don't want the world to turn on you.'

'I spent my whole life being accused of one thing or the other by them,' Harry hissed, 'do you blame me for not wanting my life spread across papers?'

'So you admit it then, Ginny is your easy way out,' Neville said quietly.

Harry fixed Neville with a long stare, his eyes catching Neville's dark ones and his stomach leaping in an uncomfortable sort of way.

'Of course she's the easy way out,' Harry said quietly, 'nothing about us is easy Neville.'

'Well what a fucking surprise,' Ginny's cool voice said from the doorway as she stalked into the smoking area, 'I should have known you wouldn't have been happy with screwing me over once, you just had to do it again didn't you? You just had to pour salt all over that wound, because that's what you do Harry, isn't it?'

Harry opened his mouth to speak, but he didn't get the chance, because Ginny continued, 'I should have known that I would never have been enough for Harry Potter,' she said angrily, 'but don't worry, I'll let you get back to your sordid little affair! I'm sure you'll be much happier on your knees with Neville than you ever were with me anyway.'

They both cringed at the insult as Ginny threw her engagement ring at Harry's feet and stalked out as quickly as she had stalked in. Harry and Neville were silent until Neville said, 'She knows how to pour salt in wounds too.'

'Who do you think I learned it from,' Harry said darkly, 'anyway you better get back inside, or my sloppy seconds will wonder where you went.'

'Oh fuck off Harry,' Neville said irritably.

'Why don't you fuck off,' Harry bit back, 'you just ruined the only chance I had at normalcy so I hope you're fucking happy now!'

Neville shook his head angrily and in one swipe brought his hand down, punching Harry hard in the nose. Harry yelled in pain but lifted his hand and hit Neville back, just as hard and also in the nose. There was a pretty pathetic scuffle because neither of them could get to their wands fast enough and even if they had been able to the blood pouring into their mouths would have made it difficult for them to say the spells right in a duel.

The commotion had now gotten loud enough to draw people outside, and the first of those were Susan and Olivia who sensibly whisked the two idiotic trainee Aurors off to St. Mungo's before anyone could catch wind of what had happened.

**TBC :)**


	20. Anger Management

**An Unexpected Predicament**

**Chapter 20 - Anger Management  
**

'He's a fucking dickhead!'

'You broke his nose!'

'He deserved it!'

Susan glared at the Gryffindor in front of her whose nose was bandaged up, 'I know he did, he's a complete fool, but you shouldn't have broken his bloody nose!'

* * *

'He broke my nose!'

'Yes, well you broke his nose too,' Hermione said angrily, 'you're lucky Olivia was worried about you and flooed me, I'm leaving to go to America with work tomorrow.'

'Lucky?' Harry asked as he held his bandaged nose, 'you're just here to shout at me.'

'No, I'm here to stop Ron from getting in,' Hermione said, 'Ginny showed up in a right state, going on about how she wasted a month and a half on you just to find out you were using her as an incubator for, and I'm quoting here, your gay babies with Neville.'

'His words, not mine! He's a fucking idiot, and I hate him.'

'No you don't,' Hermione said, 'you love him you stubborn arse! Admit that to yourself and you'll make everyone's life a lot easier!'

* * *

'I shouldn't have broken his nose? He broke up with me because he's a selfish git who doesn't want the papers to think he's gay!'

'Yes, but he has a lot to lose, and you can understand why he's worried about his reputation,' Susan said, 'look what the papers did to him in 5th year.'

'He's supposed to be brave, if he actually cares about me then he'll just be with me, regardless of everything,' Neville practically shouted.

'No, because he's always wanted to be an Auror, and if he can't do that _and _be with you he has to pick,' Susan said, 'and he's obviously picked being an Auror, but that doesn't mean he doesn't want you. It just means he can't have you, he clearly cares about you and bloody hell Neville you've loved him for a while now. Just admit that to yourself and things will be a lot easier, for all of us.'

* * *

'I don't love him, it was a stupid fling, an experiment-'

'The most real thing you've ever felt,' Hermione cut in, 'that's how you described it to me.'

'I was drunk.'

'You're the most truthful person in the world when you're drunk Harry,' Hermione said hotly, 'so don't pull that shit with me.'

'Hermione, I _can't _be with Neville. The press will turn against me forever, like 5th year but far more extreme, and I can't have Neville and be an Auror! That was my choice, and I made it.'

'And Ginny?' Hermione asked angrily.

'I thought we could be happy, I really did,' Harry said, 'she's one of my best friends, we get on, we want the same things in life and the sex was okay.'

'That's not enough you idiot!' Hermione exclaimed a little hysterically, 'you have to feel that spark, that bond, that thing that sometimes makes you want to murder the other person but most of the time makes you just want to grab them and kiss them!'

Harry glared at her, 'I know!'

'And you feel that with Neville!'

'I know!'

* * *

'I don't love him, I couldn't love someone as selfish as him.'

'Stop lying to yourself, and to me,' Susan said as she crossed her arms, 'you and Harry are just right for each other. It doesn't matter how much you fight, it matters that he makes you get this angry, this passionate. It's powerful.'

'It's fucking terrifying.'

'It's called love, and you're an idiot if you ignore it,' Susan said matter of factly.

'And what do you want me to do about it?' Neville asked, 'you said it yourself, we can't both be Aurors and be together.'

'Yes, so one of you quits,' Susan said.

'But I want to be an Auror, and Harry will never give it up,' Neville said angrily, 'we're both too stubborn, neither of us will give it up for each other.'

'Then you keep it incredibly under wraps, and you keep Olivia, Daph and me in the loop to help and you get through Auror training without it coming out. After that you'll be in separate teams, so it won't be an issue if it comes out.'

Neville looked at her in disbelief, 'That's two years away.'

'Pip and Estella waited for each other for longer than that,' Susan argued.

'And have you read _Great Expectations_? It's fucking depressing,' Neville exclaimed.

'Yeah but it has a happy ending!'

'No it doesn't! It's ambiguous!'

'Neville, do you love Harry?' Susan asked in an angry undertone.

'Yes!' Neville exclaimed, without really meaning it, and with the distinct impression he hadn't known what was going to come out of his mouth until it did.

* * *

'So be with him.'

'I can't.'

'You can, you just have to make sure nobody finds out until you've qualified,' Hermione said quietly, 'I mean this mess with Ginny needs fixed too, but you and Neville need to work things out first.'

'We couldn't keep it secret for one year, how the hell do you think we could manage it for two more?' Harry asked, no longer angry, he now sounded tired and resigned.

'I'll think of something,' Hermione promised as she rubbed her eyes, 'I've put off my trip for a couple of days, because I'm worried about you.'

'Hermione, you don't need to do that,' Harry said, 'I'm fine, really.'

'You're falling apart Harry, just like you did after the war,' Hermione said as she bit her lip, 'I don't want that to happen again, and neither does Ron. He'll come around in a week or so, once he's calmed down about Ginny.'

Harry rubbed his eyes irritably, and with frustration, 'I'm used to long spells of Ron not talking to me,' he said darkly, 'I remember 4th year very well.'

'Harry-'

'I don't want to hear you stick up for him, okay?' Harry said, his voice strained, 'I wish Neville had been my best friend all those years ago, not Ron.'

'Harry, you don't mean that,' Hermione said, her eyes welling up with tears.

'I do,' Harry said quietly, 'Neville believed it wasn't me in 4th year, Neville wouldn't have abandoned us like Ron did in the war! Neville isn't a coward!'

Hermione swallowed and walked towards the door, 'I'll be back later Harry,' she said quietly, she wasn't angry, she was just upset because she knew that Harry was right. She knew, deep down that Harry would never forgive Ron, not really. His whole life he had been abandoned by people who claimed to love him, and the fact Ron had done that was one step past true forgiveness for Harry.

She wiped her eyes angrily, and tried to convince herself that she had forgiven Ron 100% but she wasn't sure that she had. In the corridor outside Harry's room she bumped into Susan, and they paused to look at each other.

'Are you here for Neville?' Hermione asked, pushing down her sense of foreboding about Ron.

Susan nodded, 'Are you here with Harry?' she asked, glancing into the room Hermione had come from.

Hermione nodded, 'Merlin, aren't they being pathetic?'

The slightly awkward air was broken as Susan laughed, 'I think they are being ridiculous. How is Ginny?'

Hermione sighed, 'As can be expected, she's upset of course, but I think she's mostly angry.'

'I don't blame her,' Susan said darkly, 'I don't know what Harry's playing at, what did he think he could do, marry Ginny and have a family with her, and keep Neville on the side?'

'I don't know what he was thinking,' Hermione said honestly, 'I don't think he knows what he was thinking. He said that he and Ginny were friends, and wanted the same things in life so he thought that would be enough.'

Susan sighed, 'I do feel sorry for him, I can understand why he doesn't want headlines like that across the papers.'

Hermione nodded and glanced around, 'I say we call an emergency meeting of friends of them both, and people from Auror training tonight.'

She didn't want to say anymore, but Susan seemed to understand. She nodded and, using code that she knew Hermione would understand from their DA days, said, 'Good idea. The place we last had a meeting, at 8?'

Hermione smiled, by that of course she meant the Hogs Head, she nodded, 'Sounds great, I'll see you tonight, and I probably won't bring Ron.'

Susan smiled, 'Probably best considering Ginny's role in this. I'll see you later Hermione.'

* * *

When Hermione got home to the flat she shared with Ron the inevitable outburst came.

'You postponed your trip to America for that _cheating _asshole?'

'He's my best friend!' Hermione said hotly, 'and he's supposed to be yours too!'

'Best friends don't screw over their best friends sister, _twice_!' Ron roared.

'He's confused, and he knows hurting Ginny was wrong,' Hermione said hotly, 'and I'm angry at him for that too but I won't hate him for it! You always abandon him when things go wrong, he'll never forgive you for what you did to us in the war!'

'To _us_?' Ron asked in disbelief, 'so you don't forgive me either?'

Hermione's eyes brimmed with tears again, 'I don't know if I'll ever be able to forgive you completely Ron.'

Ron actually seemed to stop then, the anger turned into worry, worry of losing her, 'Hermione, I came back.'

'But you should never have left in the first place,' Hermione said as she wiped her eyes on her sleeve.

Ron didn't say anything.

'I love you Ron,' Hermione choked out, 'but I'll never forgive you for that, I hope you know that.'

Ron swallowed hard, 'Never?'

Hermione shook her head.

'Then why are we doing this Hermione?' Ron asked, his voice quiet, 'why are we living together? Talking about marriage? Is this all just a big joke? Are you just pretending?'

'No,' Hermione said weakly, 'I want that, I do. But all I am saying is it's going to take time before I can trust you again. You don't just get that back automatically, you have to earn it.'

Ron nodded sincerely, 'And I will, I'll do anything to get that back Hermione,' he said as his voice broke slightly.

Hermione managed the smallest of smiles and a weak nod at him.

* * *

When Hermione walked into the Hogs Head at 7.55pm that night everyone else was already waiting for her. She walked over to the side of the room where Aberforth had pulled two tables together. Susan had gathered this little motley crew, and it consisted of Hermione, Susan, Olivia and Tracey, who was there on behalf of Draco and Daphne since they were on their honeymoon.

'Hey,' Hermione said with a smile as she sat down across from Susan.

'Hi,' Susan said brightly, 'so I've informed the others that we're here to knock some sense into Harry and Neville.'

'Well, more to the point we need to give them a reason that they can be together,' Hermione said, 'they think they won't be able to keep a relationship secret throughout Auror training, so either we think of a loophole in the rule book, which will be difficult, or we come up with a way to help them keep it secret.'

'There are no loopholes in the Auror rule book,' Olivia said with a shake of her head, 'it would be near impossible to find one, and even then they could just change the rules and kick them out.'

'So its help them hide it then,' Tracey said with a shrug.

'Which would mean they could never be seen doing anything suspicious, or going to each other flats on leave,' Susan said with a frown.

'Well I could work on a form of communication between their flats that wouldn't be detected,' Hermione said offhandedly, 'but that's not the main thing. The main thing is keeping your officials at Auror training off their backs.'

'As long as they're single that won't happen,' Olivia said.

Tracey's eyes lit up, 'Then make sure they aren't single.'

Susan frowned, 'but they want to be with _each other.'_

'They don't have to really date someone though,' Tracey said, 'why not create elaborate fake girlfriends, someone that they are friends with, who they see often, who they could occasionally kiss for the sake of the press. Like Harry did with me.'

'That is actually a good idea,' Olivia said in surprise.

Susan nodded, 'It's a fantastic idea, everyone thought Luna and Neville would get together after the war. I'm sure Luna would be happy enough to help Neville out and play the role for the next couple of years. They go on holidays together and everything anyway, the press have already speculated about it.'

Hermione nodded thoughtfully, 'That would work,' she agreed.

'What about Harry?' Olivia asked, 'who is he close to who would be willing to play the part?'

'Apart from you, obviously,' Susan said in amusement.

'I'm with Ron,' Hermione said, thinking back to their earlier argument and how frosty things had been since.

'Well who else is there? Apart from Cho?' Tracey asked in amusement.

Hermione chuckled, 'She would have nothing to do with it, Harry was never really close with that many girls at school. Apart from Luna.'

'Well Luna could be Harry's fake girlfriend if we could find someone else for Neville?' Olivia suggested.

'There's Hannah,' Susan said, thinking of her best friend, 'she and Neville were really good friends while they were at school, and she's in training to be a Healer so she wouldn't want to be bothered by a real boyfriend anyway.'

Hermione nodded thoughtfully, 'This might just work, you know.'

Tracey smirked, and Susan suggested, 'I'll talk to Hannah, you talk to Luna, and we'll reconvene when we go to pick up our two idiots from St. Mungo's tomorrow?'

Hermione laughed and said, 'Sounds like a great plan to me.'

* * *

That night, Harry left his room to go out and have a cigarette. He was pissed off enough that he was being kept in St. Mungo's overnight for a broken nose. But the Healer said when healing bones by magic they had to be monitored. He knew that of course, he knew skele gro had complications, and since the break was too bad to be fixed with a simple spell he had no option but to stay here.

He hadn't realised Neville was stuck here too however, not until he saw him in the smoking area. They glared at each other, both looking ridiculous in their striped hospital pyjamas.

'Thanks for keeping me locked up in here overnight,' Neville said irritably.

'It's not like you have anything better to do,' Harry remarked as he lit up his cigarette.

Neville didn't have an immediate retort to that, and Harry thought they might get through their cigarettes relatively peacefully, but that was not to be. They were alone out in the little garden area designated for smokers, but it was after 10pm so that wasn't exactly unusual in a hospital.

'So, at least I got something out of last night,' Neville began darkly, 'I now know for sure that I want you to stay the hell out of my life.'

'Gladly. You're not that desirable Longbottom,' Harry bit at the man.

'I'm famous too you know, I can do better than you,' Neville said angrily.

'Like Justin?' Harry scoffed, 'I've slept with Justin, if you think that's better than me you're lying.'

Neville rolled his eyes, 'Ever thought you were the one who was shit, not him?' he asked nastily.

Harry just wanted to hit Neville as he felt this rage building up within. He knew it wasn't aimed at Neville, not really. It was aimed at himself, he was angry with himself, he hated himself, he hated who he had become. Where was the guy who didn't care about the press? The guy who didn't care about anything except being happy? He was gone, and in his place was a coward who didn't have the guts to let himself have what he wanted, all because of the press and his job. So since he couldn't have Neville all he could do was push him away, so that he found someone else, so that he was happy.

Even the thought of Neville with someone else, happy with someone else, made the dragon roar angrily, with jealousy. Harry couldn't help it anymore as he threw his cigarette down and stamped on it, 'Fine,' he said through gritted teeth, 'I'll stay out of your life, feel free to fuck whoever you want, I don't care. I don't care about anything you do!'

He regretted the words the minute he had said them, but by then it was too late to take them back so all he could do was angrily stomp back towards his hospital room, all the while telling himself not to look back and cursing himself for being such a pathetic coward.

* * *

When Susan and Hermione met outside St. Mungo's that next morning their plan had come together perfectly.

'Luna's perfectly happy with the idea,' Hermione said brightly as they walked through the doors together, 'in fact, she seems excited.'

'Hannah said she had no objections helping Neville out,' Susan said happily, 'so it seems our two trainee Aurors now have girlfriends.'

Hermione smirked, 'We just have to break it to them now.'

'And get them to talk to each other,' Susan added.

'And admit their feelings,' Hermione said in amusement.

Susan rolled her eyes, 'I can tell we're going to have a lot of trouble managing that.'

'Well I do have a plan,' Hermione admitted with a sly smile at Susan.

* * *

'Good morning Harry,' Hermione said as she walked into his room, and flung open the curtains. He winced as the natural sunlight poured in, 'time to get out of St. Mungo's.'

Harry sighed, 'Why are you so early, and so happy?' he asked suspiciously.

'I'm early because I thought you'd be eager to get out of here,' Hermione said, 'and I'm happy because I've found a way for you and Neville to be together.'

Harry scoffed, 'There is no way, and we aren't going to be together anyway. Not after what I said last night.'

Hermione glared at him, 'What did you say?'

'I pushed him away,' Harry said simply, 'So that he can move on, because me and him will never work.'

'You're an idiot,' Hermione said irritably.

* * *

'Ah, you're awake,' Susan said with a smile as she dropped Neville's clothes on his bed.

'Couldn't sleep,' Neville said as she turned her back so he could change.

'Because of Harry?'

'Don't bring him up Susan,' Neville said irritably, 'he made it quite clear to me last night that we are done, and he's a complete idiot anyway. I want nothing to do with him.'

'You don't mean that,' Susan said.

'Oh yeah, I do,' Neville said angrily, and Susan rolled her eyes as she turned to the now fully dressed man.

'I've had enough of this,' Susan said, grabbing his arm and spinning on her heel.

When she let go of Neville, he realised they were standing in a clearing in the middle of a forest. And standing not far away, close enough to be in hearing distance were Hermione, and Harry.

Hermione said, 'You two need to work this out! So there are anti-apparition wards up, and nobody will be able to bring them down apart from me. So we'll leave you here to talk, and we'll be back in a few hours.'

Harry glared at her, 'Hermione you can't do this!'

Hermione linked her arm in Susan's and they walked through the anti-apparition wards into the forest, a forest which Harry realised was in fact the Forest of Dean, but it looked different in July than it had done in December.

'Sorry Harry,' She said, and she did seem to mean it. But then she was in the trees, and Harry was left alone with Neville.

He glanced over at the man and noticed his hand was gripped tightly on his wand. Auto-pilot made him reach for his too, and ask, 'So are you going to duel me then? Or do you just want to break my nose again?'

Neville glared at him, 'I'm so angry at you Harry, every time I look at you I want to curse you.'

'So curse me then,' Harry said, 'if it makes you feel better, do it.'

'Is that a challenge?' Neville asked, narrowing his eyes at the man.

Harry shrugged, 'You tell me.'

He almost didn't have time to react, not with the speed that Neville threw his stunning curse at Harry. He _was _out of practice, and he didn't suppose the smoking helped much, Hermione was going to be proven right if he lost this duel because he was out of breath.

Harry did get his shield charm up in time however, even if it was _just _in time. It started out ordinarily enough. Harry chucked a stunner back at Neville, it bounced off his shield charm easily. Neville tried to hit Harry with a blasting curse, he rolled to the side, creating a small crater in the ground next to him. From the ground he yelled 'Expulso!' and aimed in Neville's direction. The spell met Neville's stunner in the middle and the yellow light and red light combined to make a bright orange explosion which rained down over them like fireworks. They both upped the strength of their shield charms, just in case.

'Is that all you've got?' Harry coaxed, 'summer has clearly been too indulgent for you!'

'Says the one huffing and puffing!' Neville shouted across the void between them, 'you've gotten slow over the summer!'

The coaxing only made the duel fiercer, and faster. But Neville seemed to be releasing that angry energy that had caused him to break Harry's nose, and with every pulse of magic that he felt in his blood Harry felt less angry too. He couldn't get too lost in his thoughts however because Neville had just thrown an Entrail-Expelling curse at him.

'Protego!'

'Deprimo!'

Neville was fond of blasting curses, and since they were difficult to defend against with a shield charm, Harry had no choice but to fall to the ground and resort to rolling as fast as possible out of the way again. From the ground once more he strengthened his shield charm and shouted, 'Aguamenti!'

The jet of hot water sprayed off of Neville's shield charm, but the odd drop hit him and he cursed loudly. Harry felt sick for the feeling of revenge that bubbled up there, sick because he had hurt Neville and he didn't want to do that, not in this duel, not ever. In his moment of being overly thoughtful, and as he had pushed himself to his feet, Neville had caught him with a curse that bound his feet together.

He stumbled, but didn't drop his wand and found himself on the ground for the third time. He rolled his eyes, 'Bloody hell Neville, I'm starting to think you like me being on the floor.'

Neville didn't miss the innuendo, but it seemed to fuel his anger as Harry cut through the ties and pushed himself to his feet, making sure his shield charm surrounded his whole body. The rest of the duel was fast, and furious. It was the sort of duel they excelled in together in training when they were working in a team but they had never used it against each other like this. The aim was to make your opponent fire the first thing that came to mind, to not give them enough time to think of a strategy, that was the strategy, and they were both good at it.

It had only one downfall, as the spells were exchanged they got more and more violent. More and more lethal, and Harry got more out of breath, and more tired. He knew it was only a matter of time before he slipped mentally and did something he'd regret, or slipped physically and got mauled by one of Neville's spells. The duel was getting scary, _actually _scary and that made Harry panic slightly. His vast knowledge of spells was running out and he actually began to say the spell, the words began to leave his mouth, his wand vibrated in his hand, ready to perform the evil deed.

'Sectum-'

He stopped himself, and he dropped his wand. It sizzled as it hit the wet ground, it was still hot from over-use in the duel. Harry himself dropped to his knees, unable to believe how close he had gotten to really hurting Neville, to marking him for life.

Neville had already cast his spell to send at Harry before he realised Harry was not going to finish his spell. It was the nature of fast-casting duels like that one, and he could only watch in horror as his curse, ('Relashio') soared at Harry and hit him in the arm. He didn't even cry out in pain, or make a sound apart from a small hiss as the spell broke at least one bone in his arm, and left a painful looking red burn there too.

The animosity was gone in a second as Neville ran across the wet grass and dropped down next to Harry who was staring silently at the ground and breathing heavily. He touched Harry's arm and heard him hiss, he tried to search his brain frantically for the emergency healing information he knew they had learned in Auror training, and it all rushed back to him. He couldn't heal Harry's arm, that would be a job for St. Mungo's, but he did do a basic patch on it so he could get Harry to St. Mungo's, and he soothed the burns.

'I'm so sorry,' Neville said, fumbling with the catch to secure Harry's arm, 'I didn't realise you were stopping.'

'I nearly used it,' Harry said, his voice very quiet.

Neville frowned, 'Used what?'

'The curse, the one that I used on Draco,' Harry said, and Neville actually had to move closer to him so that he could hear what his friend was saying, 'I nearly used Sectumsempra.'

'Well you didn't,' Neville said, 'I'm fine, you're the one with a bloody broken arm. Godric, I'm a fucking idiot.'

Harry frowned as he turned to look at Neville, 'What are you talking about?'

'For duelling you,' Neville said, 'I shouldn't have risen to your stupid challenge.'

'I shouldn't have given you it,' Harry countered.

'We're so fucked up,' Neville concluded.

'My parents are dead, yours are as good as. That's enough to fuck anyone up, the fact we went through a war, and both fought Voldemort or his horcruxes in some form only makes it worse,' Harry said darkly, 'we'll never be normal Neville. Neither of us will ever have normal relationships.'

'Is this you finally admitting you're gay?' Neville asked, he was exasperated but there was amusement there too.

'I still don't know that I am,' Harry said honestly, 'all I know is when I nearly hurt you…I felt sick with myself, because I never want to hurt you. I never want to hurt the people that I love.'

Neville opened his mouth to speak, and then closed it as he did a double take, 'The people that you love,' he said.

Harry realised what he had said and from the look on Neville's face he regretted it, he was trying to think up an excuse for what he had meant when Neville smiled very slightly. He said no more, but just smiled and Harry decided not to come up with that excuse. Instead he just shut his eyes, and as the adrenaline began to ebb away he began to feel quite how agonisingly painful his arm was.

'So what the hell do we do now?'

Harry didn't open his eyes to answer Neville's question, 'What do you want to do? You want to become an Auror, don't you?'

'No,' Neville said honestly, his brown eyes looking sincerely into Harry's as they popped open.

'What?' Harry asked in confusion.

'I could have killed you Harry, and in that moment I knew. I'd give up being an Auror any day, for you,' Neville said softly, 'it's not my dream, it's yours. Being with you for the rest of my life will give me enough adrenaline without needing to be an Auror.'

Harry could only stare open-mouthed at Neville, he was absolutely speechless.

'Especially if everyone argument is like this one,' Neville added with a grin.

Harry couldn't help but laugh, then he doubled over in pain and the smile disappeared from Neville's face.

'Harry?' His voice was slightly hitched, and panicked.

'It's not just my arm, the curse is spreading. I feel like my insides are burning,' Harry said through gritted teeth, 'Can we talk about this when I don't feel like I'm dying?'

Neville glanced at the botched attempt to bind the wound, it already looked slightly infected. He glanced to the shimmering wards above them and said, 'I can fix this.'

Harry was in a haze of pain so could only watch on in confusion as Neville put a full, very strong shield charm around him and then stood up in the middle of the clearing. He aimed his wand at the centre of the dome shaped wards and took a deep breath. Harry didn't realise what he was doing early enough to stop him.

'BOMBARDA!'

The wards shattered and Neville didn't quite get a shield charm up in time as the remnants of them rained down like glass. The next thing Harry knew he was blacking out in a swirl of movement and bright shapes, and loud noises.

* * *

When Harry came to, he felt very groggy. He forced his eyes open, and his eyelids felt like they were being held down by weights. He couldn't tell much at first, apart from that he was back in St. Mungo's again, and it was night time. The lights were dimmed, and Neville was sitting by his bed, looking a little battle-worn himself. His face, arms and hands were covered in hundreds of small cuts, but thankfully none of them looked deep or infected.

Neville looked tired, but he smiled at Harry, 'You're finally awake.'

Harry nodded, glancing at his arm, 'How bad is it?'

'It's okay,' Neville said honestly, 'it would have been bad if I hadn't broken the wards and got you here when I did. The curse was spreading, but they healed you up just fine. Hermione said I did the right thing, even if she was incredibly pissed off that I hurt you so badly.'

Harry shook his head, 'It's nothing, you were just a little too powerful.'

'No, I shouldn't have done it,' Neville said darkly, 'I love you Harry, and I hurt you. That scares me, that really scares me. What would happen if I came across someone who had hurt my parents? I could kill them, easily, and I don't know if I would be able to stop myself.'

Harry couldn't argue with him, because he wasn't sure Neville would stop himself either.

'You're the great Auror Harry. You can do everything, apart from Herbology and I can give you some private tutoring on that,' Neville smiled, 'I may be good, but you're better.'

'You're going to be a great Auror, Nev,' Harry objected.

Neville shook his head firmly, 'No, I mean it. I'll give it up, all of it, with a few conditions thrown in.'

Harry sighed, 'And you'd always regret it.'

'I wouldn't,' Neville said honestly, 'you had to make your choice, Auror training or me, and you picked training. That's fine, I understand it, you don't want to do anything else, you don't feel like you can do anything else.'

'It doesn't mean that I don't care about you,' Harry said weakly.

'I know,' Neville admitted, 'but that's the thing Harry. There _are _other things I can do, other things I'd like to do it, apart from being an Auror. So I pick you, of course I pick you over some stupid career.'

Harry didn't quite know what to say, 'It would have to go public.'

'I won't spend my life hiding,' Neville said.

'The press…it would be 5th year all over again.'

'It wouldn't be easy,' Neville agreed.

Harry just sighed, but before he could say anything else Hermione walked in, looking slightly apprehensive, 'I have a way for you two to be together-'

'Hermione-'

'No, hear me out. You could have fake girlfriends, it would totally convince the Auror trainers and-'

'Hermione, stop,' Harry said, and she did.

Hermione looked at Harry in confusion, and he smiled slightly in Neville's direction, 'We don't need your plan, as amazing as I'm sure it is. We aren't going to live in the shadows anymore.'

'But you can't both be Aurors-'

'Well it's probably a good thing I quit training before I came over here to visit Harry then, isn't it?' Neville asked in amusement.

Hermione's jaw dropped, and Harry was startled too. He didn't know Neville had actually quit.

'What will you do instead?' Hermione asked.

'Herbology College, which happens to be in London, close enough to Harry,' Neville said with a smile.

Harry smiled weakly back, maybe, just maybe they really could work something out.

**TBC :)  
**

**A/N: There are only two more chapters to go, oh my gosh! I'm so in love with this story. I have literally fallen in love with Harry/Neville now. I think I might even prefer it over Drarry (crazy, I know!).**


	21. New Beginnings

**An Unexpected Predicament**

**Chapter 21 - New Beginnings  
**

When Harry was finally let out of St. Mungo's after being kept in overnight _again _he was told he had to be supervised by an adult for the following 24 hours in case the wound got worse. Neville volunteered, which was how he ended up in Harry's flat drinking beer while Harry watched longingly but couldn't mix alcohol with his pain potions.

'How did you do it?' Neville asked out of the blue, 'how did you pretend for so long?'

'I was okay with being with Ginny,' Harry admitted, 'she and I got on well, and we both wanted the same things in life. That would have been a bearable life, a good life.'

'A good life,' Neville mused, 'so you were happy enough with her but she didn't make you feel particularly exhilarated.'

Harry shrugged, 'The sex was okay.'

Neville smirked, and Harry was instantly suspicious, 'What?' he asked cautiously.

Neville just grinned as he said, 'Oh nothing, it's just that I bet I can supersede all the sex you had with Ginny in one kiss.'

Harry scoffed, 'I know you're a Leo Neville, but you really need to tone down that cockiness of yours.'

Neville ignored Harry's sarcastic comment as he swiftly crossed the room to sit next to Harry on the couch. Before Harry knew what had hit him Neville grabbed his face and kissed him roughly, but gently at the same time. He was careful to avoid touching, or jostling Harry's arm but he gripped Harry's face with both of his hands as he deepened the kiss and slipped his tongue into Harry's mouth. As they did while duelling, they battled for control over the kiss, but Neville won because Harry was still in a lot of pain. He didn't think about that then though, the pain was barely noticeable as he was overwhelmed with the smell of Neville's after-shave, the feel of lips, and the taste that Harry couldn't place, apart from knowing that it was Neville's. His stomach began to flip, and his eyes fluttered shut without his permission as his free hand went into Neville's hair, it had gotten longer over the summer. Harry had wanted to grow his, but Ginny had thought it looked stupid so it had been left short instead.

When Neville broke the kiss Harry's head still felt cloudy, but he seemed to have entirely forgotten his pain. Neville had been right, Harry had felt more during that kiss than he ever had during sex with Ginny. It had been good physically, there was no doubt about that, but he had never felt what he had just there with Neville.

Neville was smirking, and Harry wanted to roll his eyes, 'Why are you smirking?'

'Oh, I was just wondering about something,' Neville said, his grin widening, 'did you get _that _turned on just by kissing Ginny?'

Harry didn't even have the heart to feel embarrassed as he pulled Neville to him, kissing him as hard and fast as he had just been kissed. Neville didn't object, despite Harry's apparent invalid state. He also didn't object as Harry's hand slipped lower down, and effortlessly undid his button and zip in one fluid movement.

Neville chuckled against Harry's lips, 'Some things never change.'

'I'm sure this will keep your adrenaline levels up,' Harry whispered against Neville's lips and he felt Neville grin at his words.

'Definitely.'

* * *

It was the middle of the night, it was lightly raining outside and the window in Harry's bedroom was pushed open. The light rain was coming in sideways due to the warm breeze, but it was a nice summer night.

Harry and Neville were lying in Harry's incredibly large and comfortable bed entirely naked. They were both still covered in a thin layer of sweat from the night's exertions and the covers lay abandoned on the floor. They just lay there, unabashed by the others state of undress as they each smoked a cigarette.

Harry sighed, 'I'm going to have to stop this.'

Neville nodded, turning his head to the side to look at the smaller man, 'The Healer fixed the damage it did to your lungs, and mine after the whole wedding argument.'

'But the damage will come back if I don't stop,' Harry admitted, 'and I was out of breath and struggling much earlier than I should have been in that duel.'

'Never mind that, you were panting 5 minutes into our hot make-up sex,' Neville teased.

Harry rolled his eyes, 'I'm injured look,' he said, pointing to his arm, 'and you were puffing too.'

'I'm stopping,' Neville chuckled, 'this is my last, that's why I'm savouring it.'

'Not that we need them anymore,' Harry admitted with a grin, 'I'll be going back to Auror training soon, and we've established how to deal with _your _adrenaline needs.'

Neville laughed a loud, hearty laugh and nodded, 'That is incredibly true. Hermione thinks stopping will be impossible, and that we'll be wrecks.'

'Well she doesn't know that we removed the addictive part, does she?' Harry smirked, and the minute he glanced at Neville they both burst out laughing.

* * *

The following morning a surprising visitor appeared on Harry's doorstep. Neville was drinking coffee and Harry had been thinking about making breakfast when he answered the door in his boxers to find Luna there.

'Luna!'

'Good morning Harry,' Luna smiled, walking into the flat and seeing Neville sitting on the sofa, also only in his boxers, 'oh hello Neville. I'm glad you two are back together again.'

'How did you even know we were together let alone that we're _back _together?' Harry asked his friend.

'Well apart from the obvious fact that you are both pretty much naked together at the moment?' Luna asked, cocking her head at Harry in amusement.

Harry actually blushed, and Luna chuckled, 'Well I already knew Neville was gay but Harry, you were so far in the closet I think you were looking for Narnia. But then you realised you had feelings for Neville, but didn't want to be with him because you were Auror partners. Then you decided you couldn't do that, so after your first year of training you got together but then you got found out and you had to pick Neville or your place in training, and you picked training. So Neville punched you, and you got back together with Ginny and ran away to Africa because you thought it would make you happy. But it didn't, and at a wedding last week you broke each other's noses, and then realised you still had feelings for each other and wanted to be together.'

'Luna, how the hell did you know all of that?' Harry asked in disbelief.

With a sly sort of smile Luna said, 'Well everyone thought I was quiet because I was insane. But really I'm very skilled in Legilimency and I was reading everyone's thoughts.'

Harry laughed and said, 'Well that explains a lot.'

Neville shook his head, 'I can't believe you didn't tell me that. How long have you been reading my thoughts for?'

Luna shrugged, 'Oh, I remember you thinking about vivid dreams you had about Harry in 5th year-'

'Alright, I think that's enough,' Neville said, the colour rising in his cheeks.

Harry raised an eyebrow at him, '5th year?'

Neville's cheeks got brighter, 'Shut up Harry.'

Luna smiled coyly, 'I don't think you're one to tease Harry. I remember your dreams about Draco Malfoy, in 6th year.'

'What? I wasn't even gay then!' Harry said defensively.

'Oh so you definitely are now then?' Neville asked in amusement, 'you didn't seem to know the last time I asked you.'

Harry stumbled over his words for a moment, and then Luna said, 'It is possible to like both men and women, Neville. You really ought to be more open-minded.'

Harry smirked, 'See Neville, you're so small-minded.'

Luna chuckled, she had wandered into Harrys kitchen and was helping herself to coffee, 'I do have an ulterior motive for being here though.'

'And that is?' Harry asked.

Luna smiled, 'I thought you should give me an interview, for the Quibbler. I can write in in the correct way, from your own words. Not speculative like the Prophet would be. _But _I need to know everything so that I know what to look out for.'

'What do you have in mind?' Harry asked warily.

'If you let me in, I can use Legilimency,' Luna said, 'that way I'll know everything without you having to tell me.'

'You want to poke around inside my head?' Harry asked.

'Come on Harry,' Neville said, 'you know it's for the best.'

'And I won't tell anybody anything,' Luna promised, 'I just want you to be happy.'

Harry sighed, 'Alright,' he said, because he knew Luna was telling the truth.

Luna nodded and smiled, a little mischievously, 'Close your eyes and let your defences down so I can get in.'

Harry shut his eyes and did as she said, and then he felt her, prodding around inside his head. He frowned, it didn't feel very comfortable. He had knowledge of the thoughts she was perusing, she glanced over his childhood memories, which was bloody uncomfortable and she made the odd passing comment like, 'hmm, I don't like sausages much either.'

Her quick scan didn't seem to be that quick though, and as she got into Hogwarts years Harry's memories and thoughts got increasingly embarrassing.

'Oh, that's interesting,' Luna said, pausing on a memory of Harry and Cedric talking. The specific memory was when Cedric gave Harry a hint about the second task in the Triwizard tournament.

'What's that, Luna?' Neville asked in amusement, 'what's interesting in Harry's head?'

'I never knew Harry had a crush on Cedric,' Luna said matter of factly.

Harry couldn't open his eyes now Luna was in his head, so he could only protest verbally, 'No I didn't! I liked Cho, his _girlfriend_.'

'No Harry,' Luna said, 'from the person inside your head right now I can verify that you actually liked Cedric but since you seemed so against believing you could possibly have feelings for a man you convinced yourself you liked Cho and that that was why you were jealous.'

'That does actually make a lot of sense,' Neville's voice said from somewhere in the room.

Harry sighed, remembering the nightmares and the comradeship he had felt towards Cedric, it was similar to what he had felt towards Neville at first. What he had misperceived as friendship, and that had turned out to be more. Luna's voice cut through his thoughts, but it didn't make a difference since she could see and hear them anyway, 'He liked you too Harry. I used to observe him a lot, he found you intriguing and a little tragic.'

Neville barked out a laugh, 'Things that attract people to Harry, he's intriguing and tragic.'

'Shut up Nev,' Harry said, although a smile played on his lips because he enjoyed their banter, 'and that is so perverted! I was 14, and Cedric was 17!'

'Love has no limits Harry,' Luna said mysteriously.

'And don't let the age gap take away from your tragic romance Harry,' Neville teased.

'Oh shut up Neville, you had a crush on me since 5th year. That's more tragic,' Harry said, there was no way he was going to let Neville live that one down.

Neville snorted, 'I think you just insulted yourself there.'

Harry would have rolled his eyes if he could have, 'I meant the fact it was for that long and you didn't tell me.'

'Well I was very confused, and you were dating girls,' Neville said in amusement, 'sorry I didn't realise you were gay before you did.'

'Oh it was very obvious,' Luna said as she casually flicked through Harry's thoughts and paused on some very uncomfortable ones concerning Draco Malfoy in 6th year, 'especially in 6th year when Harry stalked Draco Malfoy.'

Neville laughed loudly, 'You did what?'

'I wasn't stalking him!' Harry said as the colour rose in his cheeks, 'I knew he was a Death Eater and I was _spying _on him!'

'These dreams would suggest otherwise Harry,' Luna said in amusement.

'Are you quite done Luna?' Harry asked, a little irritated now and very embarrassed.

'Almost,' Luna said, flicking through the more recent memories. The memories of Auror training, and Neville. Harry felt his face flush.

'Luna! Don't look at them!' Harry exclaimed.

'Too late,' Luna said mischievously, 'wow, I never knew you were that flexible Neville.'

Neville laughed as Harry felt like melting into the ground. Sniggering Luna stopped poking about and Harry could finally open his eyes. When he did he saw two amused faces staring at him and he rolled his eyes, 'Note to self, never let Luna inside your head again.'

Neville snorted, 'I found it pretty interesting.'

'Well you would have,' Harry said, shaking his head and glaring at Neville.

'Sorry,' Luna said sheepishly, 'but I got what I need. If you decide you want to open up about all of this I'll make sure I write the article so it isn't negative.'

'Thank you Luna,' Neville said with a genuine smile, 'I really mean that.'

Luna just smiled broadly as she put her coffee down and walked towards the door, 'you're my friends, and friends have each other's backs,' she said simply, 'congratulations on being together again!' she added as she left the flat.

* * *

'So Herbology College?'

'I got accepted,' Neville said, lying on Harry's bed reading his letter.

'Of course you did, you're brilliant,' Harry said simply.

'It's only a two year course, so I'll finish at the same time as you,' Neville said.

'What do you do there?' Harry asked.

'Oh loads, it's more like a working apprenticeship than college. It's basically a huge greenhouse and you learn as you go, with field trips and weekend trips to different countries of course,' Neville said excitably, 'if you're alright with that?'

'I'm fine with that if you're honestly okay with it,' Harry said, 'you aren't going to miss Auror training?'

'I'll miss being as fit as you,' Neville joked, 'I'll get podgy doing this job.'

'Not with our sex life the way it is,' Harry grinned.

Neville laughed, 'Honestly though Harry, I'm really excited about this.'

'What will you do afterwards?' Harry asked curiously.

'Hopefully get a job as a Research Herbologist, I'd have to travel a lot but then so would you as an Auror so…'

'So it would work fine,' Harry finished, smiling at Neville.

'Alright.'

'Alright?'

'I'm convinced,' Harry said, 'I thought you were lying at first, about being happy doing this, and quitting training. But you were serious, your happy doing this.'

'I really am,' Neville smiled, 'and more to the point I'm happy being with the person that I _love.'_

'How did Justin take that?' Harry asked conversationally.

'Not very well, I doubt he'll talk to either of us anytime soon,' Neville admitted, 'is Ron talking to you yet?'

'Nope,' Harry replied, 'and I doubt he will anytime soon. But things will get better, I'm sure.'

* * *

A week before Harry was due to start back at Auror training, and before Neville started Herbology College, all hell broke loose. It started when Harry picked up the Monday morning edition of the Prophet, hoping to scan the Quidditch results. He never got that far though, because of what was emblazoned on the front page of the prophet.

Photographs. _Private _moments, that Harry had no idea could possibly be captured. These photographs were of he and Neville, kissing in _Harry's flat. _How the press had a.) worked out where he lived, and b.) broken through his wards he had no idea. But there they were, photographs taken through a window. And although they were only kissing it was clear from the fact they were topless that there was more than that going on between them.

The headline boldly shouted, '**HARRY POTTER: OUR HOMOSEXUAL HERO?'**

Harry swallowed hard as he went on to read the scathing article, written in the hand of Rita, fucking, Skeeter.

_'The biggest scandal the wizarding world has ever seen? Harry Potter, the saviour of our country is **gay! **And his boyfriend? None other than childhood friend, and fellow war hero Neville Longbottom. The pair were Auror partners, throughout their first year of training but we have it on good authority from a friend of the couple that Mr. Longbottom quit Auror training a few weeks ago! This authors heart goes out to the poor Miss. Weasley who Mr. Potter seems intent on hurting, the pair spent a large portion of the summer in Africa and now it seems Mr. Potter isn't so golden after all! Will the world still love a cheating homosexual hero like him? We'll have to wait and see! See page 4 and 5 for further details on this scandalous affair!'_

Harry felt sick, he threw the paper away and kicked a cupboard door so ferociously that it dented. He felt physically sick, as his magic bubbled up inside of him. He really didn't think the situation could get any worse, there was no taking this back now. It was in the open, it was exactly what he feared and Harry _knew _that it had been Ginny who had given them a tip, or a lead. She was revengeful and spiteful, and this was all her, her and Rita Skeeter. He seriously contemplated flooing to the Prophet offices and giving them hell, but before he could decide whether this was a very good or a very stupid idea he was stopped. His owl flew through the window and dropped a letter in front of him. A red letter. **A Howler.**

Harry ripped it open before it could explode, and the voice that emerged was Sumners.

'Potter! This is the last time I cover up for you! I am calling you to a meeting with the council about this, I want you at the centre in 10 minutes. If you do not show up, you can consider yourself out of Auror training for good!'

The letter ripped itself up, and Harry slid helplessly down onto the floor. His anger had already ebbed into nothingness, only to be replaced with despair because if he lost his place at Auror training what the hell would he do with himself for the rest of his miserable bloody life?

The floo roared, and Neville walked in. He sat down next to Harry on the floor, silently.

'Sumner called me to a meeting,' Harry said as he got to his feet, 'I need to be there in 10 minutes.'

'He's going to kick you out, isn't he?' Neville asked, unable to look Harry in the eye.

'No,' Harry said firmly, and Neville's eyes snapped up. Harry had a fire burning in his eyes, a passion, he looked like the person he had been before. He looked like the Harry Potter who had fought to set up the DA, to make sure they could defend themselves. He looked like he was going to fight for this.

'He's going to try and kick me out, but he can't,' Harry said, 'I've done nothing wrong, and I'll prove that. If I have to use extreme measures I will, I'm not going to lie here and roll over for them anymore!'

Neville smiled, 'Now, that is the Harry Potter I used to know. That's the Harry Potter that I miss.'

Harry nodded firmly, 'I'm going to deal with this.'

* * *

When Draco picked up the newspaper and took a sip of coffee, as he did every morning in his lovely new house, with his lovely new wife, he found himself spitting his coffee out in a very un-elegant fashion onto the paper.

Daphne snorted from the kitchen, 'What was _that _for?'

'Have you seen this?' Draco asked in disbelief, thrusting the coffee splattered paper in her face.

Daphne frowned as she looked at the front page of the Prophet, 'What?' she barked.

They were not long back from their honeymoon, she hadn't expected much to change in that amount of time. But clearly she had been wrong because emblazoned on the front of the paper was;

**'HARRY POTTER: OUR HOMOSEXUAL HERO?''**

'Well, I did not expect that,' Daphne said simply.

'I thought he was engaged to the Weasley girl,' Draco remarked.

'He was, at our wedding,' Daphne said with a frown, 'do you think maybe the two of them…reconciled…that night?'

'Honestly, I don't want to think about our wedding giving Potter and Longbottom an excuse to fuck,' Draco remarked.

Daphne rolled her eyes, 'Oh behave, let's just try and be there for them. This article is pretty scathing!'

'Yes, well Skeeter is a scheming bitch,' Draco said, 'but I bet other publications will be just as cruel, Witch Weekly for example.'

Daphne scoffed, 'Nobody whose opinion matters reads Witch Weekly. Do you think we should pop around and say something to them?'

'Probably not,' Draco sighed, 'if they need our help they will ask for it.'

'And if they do, will you give it?' Daphne asked.

'Of course I will,' Draco replied.

On those words the floo flashed green and Harry stepped out of it, looking incredibly pissed off, 'Sorry to charge in on you so early. But Draco, I need your help.'

Daphne smirked, 'Guess that means we're helping then,' she said as Draco's face fell.

* * *

The Auror training centre was practically dead as Harry walked through it towards the large meeting room where his 'meeting' with Sumner, and the council was to be held. Training did not officially start again until next week, so even the staff were still on holiday. After several empty corridors he entered the room and faced the council of 5. They consisted of the Assisant Minister for Magic, the Head, and Assistant Head of the DMLE, the Head Auror, and Sumner as Senior Auror Trainer. Harry knew who they all were, but he only _personally _knew Sumner and one other, the Assisant Minister for Magic, Percy Weasley.

'Potter,' Sumner said curtly, 'I am sure you aware of who the other members of the council are. Mr. Weasley, as Assistant Minister for Magic. The Head of the DMLE Mr. Smithson, and his Assistant Miss. Williams. Myself, and of course, Mr. Robinson, the Head Auror.'

'Yes,' Harry said simply, 'I know who you all are.'

'And I am sure you understand why you are here, Mr. Potter,' James Robinson, the frankly inept Head Auror, said.

'No,' Harry said matter of factly, 'I actually have no idea why I'm here. I assume it has something to do with the story in the Prophet this morning.'

'The last incident, which Sumner informed us of,' Percy began, 'could be taken with a pinch of salt. However, the pictures in this article are very real. There is no denying that you are in a relationship with Neville Longbottom.'

'I don't recall denying it,' Harry said curtly, his sass back with a vengeance.

'Potter,' Sumner hissed, 'you are in serious trouble, this is not a joke.'

'I'm not treating it as a joke, but I don't see how I'm in any trouble. Yes, I am in a relationship with Neville, but as you know Sumner, he came to you and quit training two weeks ago,' Harry said.

'We are aware,' Johnathon Smithson, head of the DMLE said smoothly, 'however, we cannot be certain if the relationship began while you were training together. In which case you broke the rules and can be-'

'It didn't,' Harry cut in, 'I'll swear on that, I'll even allow a Legilimency test. It began in the summer.'

'That may be the case Mr. Potter, but you were still under the jurisdiction of this training programme, and as Longbottom did not quit earlier-'

'We are not under the jurisdiction of this programme in the summer, and he did not quit earlier because the only person we can report to in summer is Sumner, who was on holiday up until the week Neville quit,' Harry bit back.

'Senior Auror Sumner brought up an incident at a karaoke bar very early on in the summer. He told us that he gave you a choice and a chance-'

'Yes, he gave me a choice and Neville was the one who chose to quit, not me. But after this visit, Sumner himself was on holiday,' Harry said calmly, he had still not sat down in the empty chair they had reserved for him, 'so I think we should stop with the lies and the political bullshit. You don't want me out of here because of my relationship with a fellow recruit. You don't care about that, you care about who the relationship was with. You care that he's a man.'

'That is complete nonsense!' Smithson blathered, 'we take a very strong line of equality.'

'No, you don't,' Harry said smoothly, 'how many people in our world are openly gay? If you ask any witch or wizard that they will not be able to answer you! That is not equality, it's oppression! It's the same as not allowing Muggle-borns to do certain jobs, or not allowing Half-breeds to work. You class us in the same sub-section of society as werewolves!'

'Rubbish,' Sumner snapped.

'Really?' Harry asked coolly, 'then why do you want rid of me so much? I'm one of the best recruits this place has seen in years, all of the trainers tell me so! You have had no problems with me and now all of a sudden you want me out because of my sexuality. And you can't do it, you can't find a way to kick me out. I have passed 1st year now, it requires three written warnings. What do you intend to do, give me a written warning for being gay?'

They were silent, and clearly in shock.

'I'm not from this backwards, frankly sickening world where everything is frowned upon!' Harry said, 'I'm from a world where people fight to be equal, a world where people don't hide who they are! I won't hide this, I won't hide it from you and I won't hide it from the press. And if you do find a way to get rid of me, I'll tell them exactly what you did. I'll tell them exactly why you wanted me out.'

'Mr. Potter, your sexuality does give us reason to-'

Harry shook his head, 'No, I'm not going to stand here and take this bullshit. I happen to have a good friend, a good lawyer friend,' his eyes flashed angrily as he opened the door and said, 'Come in.'

The council watched in surprise as Draco Malfoy walked through the door, a perpetual smirk on his lips as he placed his briefcase on the table and took the vacant seat reserved for Harry.

'Does it state in the contract my client signed that he was not allowed to apply for this training programe if he was a homosexual?'

'Well, no,' a very flustered Smithson replied.

'Then how do you intend to imply that he was in breach of contract? He is a wizard, he is not a half-breed, he is in good health mentally and physically. He has not broken the rule you speak of. It states here in the contract that my client signed, that two recruits cannot be involved sexually during the time period in which they are training together. It does not mention summer being part of that time, it only states that they cannot be involved while training together. My client has proof that he and Mr. Longbottom were not involved sexually until training broke off for summer. He has even sworn to take a Legilimency test as proof of this. You have no proof, no evidence whatsoever. You are simply looking for a breach in contract in order to remove him from training because you do not feel that he is suited to this job because of his sexuality,' Draco said.

'His sexuality will only bring him grief in this job,' Sumner said briskly.

'That may be so, but that is not your choice to make,' Draco said, 'it is my clients.'

'There will be chaos amongst the other recruits,' Smithson said.

'Let there be chaos,' Percy said, causing everyone to turn to him in surprise. Harry was included in that, and he was even more surprised when he saw that Percy was smiling, 'Harry Potter does not 'take shit' from anyone, as my younger brother says. If anyone can cope with the amount of bullying, and scorn that comes his way for this, it is him.'

'Mr. Weasley-'

'Let him stay,' Percy said, 'I have it on authority from the Minister that he approves of this course of action. You are right, Harry. We are backwards, and that does need to change. Perhaps your stand today will be the catalyst for that change.'

Harry smiled slightly, and Sumner got to his feet. He didn't look unhappy with the decision, but he didnt look thrilled about it either as he said ambiguously, 'See you next week, Potter.'

The rest of the council left silently, until at last Harry and Draco were alone in the meeting room. Harry let out a heavy sigh, 'Thank you Draco.'

'You're welcome,' Draco said as he got to his feet and they left together, 'they _were _right you know? About the chaos this will cause. Nobody comes out openly in the wizarding world and is successful. Look at Dumbledore, he hid it for years and then it all tumbled out after his death. There was a reason for that.'

'Yes the reason being that if people found out he was gay they would find out about his relationship with Grindelwald,' Harry pointed out, 'I'm dating Neville bloody Longbottom, the guy who wore a cardigan and cut off a snakes head without even realising that he was killing a part of Voldemort. It's not like I'm dating a future dark lord or something.'

Draco smiled in amusement, 'Well you never know. Longbottom could go off the rails.'

'And do what, raise an army of giant Venomous Tentacula?' Harry grinned.

Draco shuddered, 'Don't say things like that. Haven't you seen _'The Day of the Triffids'?'_

Harry raised an eyebrow at the blonde, 'No, I haven't. How exactly have you seen it?'

'Daphne,' Draco said with a shake of his head, 'one of her worst date night ideas ever. She called it a science fiction double feature. It was in a musty old car park with a lot of nerdy teenagers.'

Harry laughed, despite himself, and despite it all, 'In seriousness though Draco, I'm grateful for your help. At the very least you've saved my job. I just need your help sueing the Prophet now.'

'Really?' Draco asked in surprise.

Harry nodded, 'They must have broken through my wards to take those pictures.'

'Which is illegal,' Draco said slyly.

'Precisely,' Harry smirked.

Draco smirked back, 'I think we're going to work very well together, Potter.'

* * *

When Harry walked back into his flat, Neville was pacing the living room nervously.

'How'd it go?'

'I still have a job,' Harry said in amusement, 'thanks to Draco. I had to use legal jargon.'

'Did they try and kick you out?' Neville asked in disbelief.

Harry nodded, 'Yes, they did. They tried to forgo the three written warnings rule by implying I had breached the contract.'

'Bullshit! You didn't do anything wrong! It was summer when you and I-'

'I know,' Harry said calmly, 'and Draco and I called them out on it. They practicaly admitted that they wanted to kick me out because I'm gay.'

'What?' Neville hissed.

'But they can't,' Harry said triumphantly, 'and I've been informed that I'm going to be treated scornfully because of my sexuality, apparently they're going to give me shit for it. Well, I'd like to see them try.'

'Fuck,' Neville said quietly, 'you did have so much more to lose Harry. And I didn't even realise until it all kicked off. I'm so sorry.'

Harry shrugged, 'Look, I'd rather deal with this now than have lived a lie for my entire bloody life Neville. As far as I can see there's only one way forward now that this is all out. We go public properly, give interviews to the Prophet, to Witch Weekly, the Quibbler, everything.'

'You want to go to the press now?' Neville asked in surprise.

Harry sighed, 'I'm not going to lie and say I'm okay with having my life in the papers and in the public eye, I'm not. But I don't want to hide either, I want to be able to go out together and not have to pretend.'

Neville's smile widened, 'Well then I guess that means the Harry I knew from Hogwarts, the brave, selfless one, is still in there somewhere. Underneath all of that war drama.'

Harry smiled slightly, 'Yeah, I guess so. But the war drama will disappear, as the years go on.'

'Is that commitment I hear?' Neville joked.

Harry actually laughed, 'I don't know, maybe it is. But for now, let's arrange interviews. I've got to fit this in around my lawsuit.'

Neville narrowed his eyes at Harry, 'Lawsuit?'

'Against the Prophet,' Harry grinned, 'Draco and I are sueing them. They broke the law, by breaking through my wards to get those pictures of us. I know we don't need the money, but we can start a charity with it, for people like us.'

'Gay people?'

'Gay people in the wizarding world which fucking hates them,' Harry remarked bitterly, 'you don't get things unless you fight for them, the war taught me that. People don't just hand you something for nothing. I want equality, I want to be able to do the same jobs, and have the same opportunities. Every human deserves that, whether they're straight, gay, a werewolf, a house-elf...'

Harry trailed off and noticed that Neville's eyes were a little watery. He frowned, about to ask Neville what was wrong when the taller man threw himself into Harry's arms and mumbled through his tears, 'I really have missed this Harry so much. You've been such a bloody coward lately.'

* * *

Harry and Neville gave two interviews that day, one via floo and one in person. When dinner time arrived they were both exhausted so they ordered take out. When the floo whirred they were halfway through listening to the Puddlemere Match on the radio, while drinking beer and eating pizza. Hermione walked into the living room cautiously.

'Why do you look so scared?' Harry asked in amusement.

'You have a tendency to break things when you're upset,' Hermione said simply as she grabbed a slice of pizza and sat down in the armchair.

Neville snorted, 'He was remarkably calm today, actually.'

'I wasn't,' Hermione said angrily, 'I went to the DMLE today. I gave evidence and did a Legilimency test.'

Harry narrowed his eyes at his friend, 'Did they arrest her?'

Hermione smiled wickedly, 'Yes, they did. They prove, in front of me, that she was an illegal animagus, and they gave her 5 years in Azkaban.'

Neville was looking between them in confusion, 'I'm lost?'

'Hermione found out in 4th year that Rita Skeeter is an illegal animagus. She threatened her, said if she didn't stop writing shit about me she'd expose her,' Harry explained.

'And she clearly thought it was an idle threat,' Hermione said with a smirk.

'I'm impressed,' Neville said slowly, 'and a little terrified of you, but that's nothing new...not after 1st year.'

Hermione made a face at him, 'Oh hush. At the very least the Prophet shouldnt be so scornful about your relationship now. Did the Auror training office ask you about it?'

'They did more than that,' Harry scoffed, and he explained the entire story, including how Percy had been the lenient one.

'Wow,' Hermione said when he finished, 'they really regard gay people in the same lowly way as Muggle-borns and Half-breeds. You're right, it's ridiculous, and you should fight for it, _we _should fight for it.'

'How did I know that you would be behind this idea?' Harry asked with a smile.

Hermione smiled back, 'I'm all for equality of every sort, you know that. So what's our action plan?'

'Grab a beer and I'll fill you in,' Harry grinned.

* * *

'Nev,' Harry said a little breathlessly as they lay in bed late that night.

Neville was breathing heavily as he turned on his side and threw his arm over Harry, 'Mmhm.'

'I'm really glad you quit Auror training,' Harry said quietly.

'I know,' Neville said, still breathless, 'because we can have this.'

'That's not the only reason why,' Harry admitted, turning his head to look at the man who was sweaty and looked entirely spent but also incredibly attractive at the same time.

'Here we go,' Neville said with a fond sort of smile, 'you always get sentimental after sex.'

Harry didn't laugh like he normally would at a comment like this. Instead he sighed, 'At the start of Auror training there were 10 of us, and Sumner gave us that speech. He said one of us would transfer to the DMLE and Entwhistle did. Then he said two would crack under pressure, and Seamus did. He said two would be forced to leave, and MacDougal did, then Lee when he failed his 1st year exams. Which would have meant out of Olivia, Regina, Daphne, Susan, you and I four would survive, one would be kicked out and one would die.'

Neville was silent, he knew where Harry was going with this.

'And I had this horrible feeling that what Oliver told me about might happen to us. That one of us would die, and…I couldn't face it Neville. I think I might have made a really big mistake trying to save your life,' Harry's voice was a little shaky as he tried to explain the way he felt, 'I was just so terrified that you would die, and…well, I couldn't face life without you.'

Neville smiled weakly, 'I appreciate that Harry. But look at the situation as it stands now, I basically cracked under the pressure because I had to choose Auror training or you, and I chose you. Which means of you, Susan, Daphne, Regina and Olivia one will die, and the rest will become Aurors. How do I know that you aren't that person? How do I go and study plants all day and write essays when I know you are out there risking your life everyday? How do I leave the house in the morning with the thought in my mind everyday that I might never see you again?'

'I don't know,' Harry admitted, 'how are you going to cope with that?'

'Well, it's a pretty simple answer,' Neville admitted, propping himself up on his elbow so he could look at Harry properly, 'because as much as you are a clueless pain in the fucking arse I love you. Yes, when I say goodbye in the morning that might be goodbye forever, but every day you survive is another day we have together, and I want as many days as possible.'

Harry couldn't believe himself as he felt tears welling up in his eyes, 'Fucking hell Nev, you should be a poet.'

Neville laughed weakly, 'I mean it Harry. I know you need to do this job, and as much as I _can _cope with it, I'll still worry about you every day.'

Harry nodded, grabbing Neville's hand, 'I promise I'll never do anything stupid. Every morning when I leave, I'll want to come back to you. I'm not that stupid reckless idiot I was at Hogwarts, I have a lot to live for these days.'

Neville couldn't help the grin that spread across his face as he pulled Harry in for another kiss. This time it was slow, and deep, and passionate. It was full of meaning, the kind of kiss that got the stomach doing flips and the head going cloudy as all thoughts were pushed out of it. Harry smiled against Neville's lips and said, 'I know I haven't said it yet, not properly at least.'

'I wasn't pushing,' Neville murmured.

'And I appreciate that,' Harry whispered, looking into Neville's endless brown eyes and saying, 'but I love you Neville, more than I've ever loved anyone in my life.'

He felt Neville smile against his lips as he murmured, 'I know Harry, I've known for a while. I just wanted to make you say it.'

Harry laughed against the taller man, and kissed him once more, deepening the kiss this time, and taking him by surprise as he flipped them so that he was now pinning Neville down to the bed. Neville just laughed, and in a moment as small and insignificant as that, Harry realised for the first time in a long time how lucky he really was to be as happy as he was with Neville.

**TBC :)**

**A/N: Ahh, only an epilogue to go now! I'm so sad to be parting with this story, but it has ran its natural cycle I think. Warning, there will be intense feels in the last chapter, I sobbed while writing the bloody thing!**


	22. A Life in the Limelight

**An Unexpected Predicament**

**Chapter 22 - A Life in the Limelight**

The story broke worldwide after Harry and Neville had given their interviews. The entire wizarding world knew the truth about Harry Potter, and his _serious _boyfriend, Neville Longbottom. Their interview to the Quibbler was seen by Harry's small, but very loyal and supportive fan base. They had decided not to give an interview to the Prophet after all that had happened. But the interview that mattered was that which they had given to Witch Weekly. Regardless of the things people said about the magazine and its gossipying nature, it was sold in wizarding shops across the world. It had more reach than any other publication which was exactly what they needed.

So, for the first time _ever _Harry bought a copy of Witch Weekly, and he and Neville read it together in bed that morning. The front cover was a picture of them both, in black and white, looking quite attractive if he said so himself. The bottom right corner loudly shouted, '"_EXCLUSIVE!" _followed by a short summary of what their interview was about.

"_Potter and Longbottom open up about their relationship, Auror training and the prejudices they suffer!"_

Harry smiled slightly, 'Well, it's out there now, in the way we want it to be.'

'Can't take it back now,' Neville agreed.

'Not that I'd want to,' Harry said honestly, 'I feel free for the first time. I don't feel trapped anymore, like I can be who I want to be. I don't give a shit about whether people will like that person or not.'

Neville grinned at him and rolled over to kiss him, 'You have no idea how much more I want you now that you're this selfless, sexy, hero again.'

Harry laughed against his lips, 'I think I do, you've mentioned it _a lot_.'

Neville chuckled, 'Yeah well I never thought I would miss your hero complex, but there you have it, I did.'

* * *

'What are you reading?'

'Witch Weekly,' Hermione smiled as Ron walked into the kitchen ready for work.

'Is that Harry and Neville?' Ron asked in disbelief.

'Yes, they decided to tell their story their own way,' Hermione said as she glanced up at him, 'they really do love each other, Ron.'

'I know,' Ron sighed, 'Percy was talking to me about it last night…it's just Ginny…'

'I understand,' Hermione said, looking away once more. She expected him to leave, he was going to be late for work if he didn't. But instead he sat down next to Hermione at the kitchen table and looked at her expectantly.

'What?' Hermione asked with a frown.

Ron smiled slightly, 'Go on, read it to me.'

Hermione positively beamed at him and wasted no time reading the short interview aloud.

"_The New Power Couple!_

_The wizarding world is going to see a drastic change now that Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom have come out as the first high profile figures in a 'homosexual' relationship! They seem incredibly relaxed as I sit here and drink tea with them both for our interview, are you ready for change? Because it's coming!_

_So boys, don't you feel worried about the negative reactions to your relationship?_

_**Neville**: Nah. We expected it, we aren't exactly happy about it but we knew this was coming. But at the end of the day, we'll deal with things as they come._

_**Harry:** We are already thinking about ways to improve awareness, that was why we wanted to give you our first big interview. There must be so many people in our situation, terrified to talk to anyone about it._

_Well, we really appreciate that. It can't have been easy, dealing with feelings that must have been new and scary, while training to be Aurors._

_**Harry**: No it wasn't. We both got the distinct impression we wouldn't be wanted there if they knew, so things were very secretive._

_**Neville**: I didn't even know he was gay until we'd been at training for a year!_

_**Harry**: Sorry about that, Nev._

_**Neville**: Ah, it's alright. I've almost forgiven you._

_So was it the pressure that made you feel like you had to quit, Neville?_

_**Neville**: No, not really. I basically had a choice, with the rules being as they were, we couldn't be together and both train together. So one of us had to quit, and Harry loves the job more than I do. It's a good thing I quit, he's been having nightmares about me taking over the world with an army of venomous tentacula!_

_**Harry**: Blame Draco Malfoy for that one, he put the idea in my head!"_

Hermione had to pause to wait for Ron to stop laughing at the image that had popped into his head of Neville leading an army of venomous tentacula while wearing a cardigan and brandishing the sword of Gryffindor. She hid a smile of amusement at his behaviour, she was just grateful that it looked like he was going to start speaking to Harry again.

"_Ah, then the rumours are true about you and top notch lawyer Draco Malfoy working together to try and bring awareness of this issue of inequality to the fore?_

_**Harry**: Yes, they are true. As difficult as it is to believe I have somehow become good friends with Draco Malfoy. I don't believe it myself, to be honest._

_We all had to take a short break there as the interview descended into silliness! So, apart from Harry's odd dream, everything is normal, despite the crazy circumstances?_

_**Neville**: As normal as things can be in a relationship with Harry Potter!_

_**Harry**: Very funny Nev. But no, everything is normal. Neville starts Herbology College a week today, and I go back to Auror training too. I fully expect to get hell there because of the fact I'm gay, but I've got some great friends who I know support me._

_**Neville**: We really do have the best friends we could wish for, and that makes such a difference._

_I bet. Well, one last question then. The typical one, I'm afraid! Who's the woman in the relationship?_

_**Harry [while laughing]:** Merlin, well I think it's both of us in different ways! Neville gets emotional easier than I do, I think._

_**Neville**: But I'm useless around the house, Harry cooks and does cleaning charms, I'm just so lazy._

_**Harry**: He's so messy, and I am a bit of a clean freak these days, actually. But at least I don't cry at Disney movies Neville…"_

Ron was still chortling as Hermione shut the magazine.

'Neville cries at Disney movies?' Ron said as he wiped away tears of laughter, 'that was hilarious.'

'And perfect,' Hermione smiled, 'they are doing a wonderful thing. They're right, being gay is not accepted here and that's ridiculous. You don't pick how you are born, you don't get to pick to be a Pureblood, or a Muggle-born, or a Blood traitor, you don't get a choice between liking men or women. It should be accepted, and their interview proves that they have a normal relationship, just like a man and a woman would.'

Ron watched her thoughtfully, 'You should help them with this Hermione.'

'I already am Ron,' Hermione said honestly, 'I've promised to do everything that I can to help.'

Ron nodded, apparently deep in thought. After a moment he glanced at the clock, 'I'm going to go by Harry's, I'm already late for work. I need to put things right.'

Hermione gave him a watery smile as she threw her arms around him, 'I'm so proud of you Ron!'

* * *

When Ron stepped out of the floo the living room was empty, and there was _no _way he was walking into Harry's bedroom. He didn't know what he'd find there.

'Harry?' He instead called from the hallway.

'Ron, is that you?' Harry's voice called back, he sounded surprised.

'Yeah, are you two…decent?' Ron asked awkwardly.

Harry laughed, 'Yeah, Neville's in the shower, it's safe to come in.'

Ron edged into the bedroom where Harry was standing in front of the mirror attempting to tame his hair, 'Are you here to tell me I'm late for work?'

Ron shook his head, 'Nah, I'm late too. Hermione wanted to read me that article this morning, in Witch Weekly.'

'You saw that?' Harry asked, catching his best friend's eye.

Ron nodded, 'And I wanted to put things right. You know, when we were fighting once Hermione said I should have been a Hufflepuff because I'm so loyal to my family. I think she was right, I can't stand anyone hurting them, and then with Ginny…I'm so protective of her, we all are.'

'I know,' Harry said honestly, 'and what I did was wrong, Ron. You're right to be angry with me, I treated Ginny like shit. I shouldn't have tried to make things normal, I shouldn't have tried to make myself normal-'

'You are normal Harry,' Ron interrupted.

Harry smiled slightly at the redhead, 'I don't feel like I am right now Ron. I feel like half the wizarding world are behind me, and the other half are abandoning me because of who I fell in love with.'

'Well Hermione and me are in the half that are behind you,' Ron said honestly, 'she said to me, Hermione, after you and Neville had that big duel…she said to me that she didn't think she would ever forgive me for what I did in the war. And do you want the truth? I don't think you will either, and I know why you can't, because I can't forgive myself-'

'Ron-'

'No,' Ron said with a shake of his head, 'I left you, you were in your time of need and I left you. That's not the kind of thing a friend does, but I was a coward and Hermione's right, every time something goes wrong, I abandon you. But I'm not going to do that anymore Harry, I'll be here if you ever need anything. And I'll help, with this charity if you want, I can put up posters in the shop for you, I mean with the Hogsmeade branch that will help won't it? Because there must be people at Hogwarts going through the same thing who-'

Harry pulled Ron into a hug, his eyes a little watery, 'Ron, I'll never understand you,' he said fondly.

'You are the second person to hug me and cry today,' Ron said in amusement.

Harry laughed and wiped his eyes as he pulled back, 'I'll seriously never understand you though mate. One minute you're an angry arse, and then you can be so thoughtful. It was like when you thought about the house elves, in the final battle.'

'The thought that won me Hermione,' Ron joked.

Harry smiled, 'Thank you, and we'd really appreciate it, if you'd put posters up. That would be fantastic.'

'Alright,' Ron said with a smile, 'then consider it done. But I better get to work, I'm already half an hour later.'

'And I'll be even later,' Harry laughed as Ron rushed in the direction of the fireplace.

* * *

"**POTTER AND LONGBOTTOM SET UP CHARITY TO HELP HOMOSEXUAL WITCHES AND WIZARDS!"**

'It's going well,' Harry beamed.

'It's fantastic,' Neville agreed as they stood in front of their charity's HQ, a simple building in Hogsmeade.

'I really think this is going to make a difference, to a lot of these kids,' Harry said as he glanced around at the small group making their way into the building.

'Might even save lives,' Neville said cheerfully, and a little tearfully.

'It's a much better way to spend a summer, than going to Africa, or Brazil,' Harry said as he slipped his hand into Neville's, they didn't care about the reporters or the photographers lurking up ahead. This was public knowledge now, it had been for the past year, and while Harry had gotten shit for it at Auror training he had managed to get it to stop after a few weeks and a lot of duelling.

Neville smiled over at him, 'It's good isn't it? To look at this, and know we did it all ourselves.'

'With a little help from your friends!' Hermione's voice said as she jumped on Harry's back.

He caught her before she could slip and laughed, 'You're lucky I still have seekers reflexes.'

'Would have been funnier if you dropped her,' Ron remarked as he appeared at Neville's other side.

'Oh hush Ronald,' Hermione said, a little teary herself, 'I'm just so proud of you Harry,' she said as she kissed his cheek.

They were engaged now, a diamond ring sparkled on Hermione's hand and Ron had never been happier. None of them had been. Despite the pain that had come with this revelation, Harry felt free, and he knew that Neville felt the same.

'We helped too,' another voice said as Daphne jumped onto Neville's back, he grabbed her quickly and smirked.

'Daph, you painted one wall,' Neville grinned.

'She's awfully lazy,' Draco said as he sauntered up behind them, 'compared to her _wonderful _husband who did all of the legal work for this charity.'

'We owe you so much Draco,' Neville said gratefully, 'we'd never have been able to set it up if it wasn't for you.'

'It would never have gotten off of the ground if it hadn't been for all of you,' Harry said as he looked around at them all.

Neville frowned slightly, 'Speaking of that, not all of you are here. Where's Susan?'

'She's running late,' Daphne grinned as she jumped down from Neville's back and took her place at Draco's side, 'she 'accidentally' stayed over last night.'

Harry snorted, 'How do you accidentally stay over at the Assistant Minister for Magic's flat?'

'I think she fell asleep, after their rendezvous,' Daphne said with a mischievous grin, 'and yet she's still trying to tell me that it's not serious.'

'I still can't believe _anyone _is dating my brother,' Ron said with a shake of his head, 'he's a pompous, boring git.'

'Not in the bedroom, apparently,' Hermione said in amusement.

Ron looked entirely disturbed, 'Hermione! That is far too much information! Erase my memories, now!'

* * *

"**POTTER AND LONGBOTTOM APPEAL FOR FURTHER AWARENESS OF SEXUALITY RELATED BULLYING AT HOGWARTS!"**

'Honestly, it's ridiculous!' Hermione said from her desk at the charity. She was the main boss, she basically ran the place. Harry and Neville owned it, and did as much work there as possible. But Hermione was the one who kept it running.

'It's not ridiculous, it's illegal,' Harry spat, 'and the little shit who did it should be punished!'

'I think he's been punished enough,' Neville said quietly, 'he has to live with what he did, for the rest of his life. Look at Snape, Harry. Look at how much it hurt him to deal with what he accidentally did to your Mother and Father, to you.'

'This wasn't an accident, Neville!' Harry said as he paced the main office, 'this kid bullied that boy so much that he took his own life! That's murder!'

'I'd be inclined to agree with you Harry,' Hermione said angrily, 'but what difference does it make? You're an Auror, you know that he wouldn't even get time in Azkaban, he's a minor.'

'But letting him off scot free?' Harry asked in disbelief, 'I've had Thomas's parents in here, crying their eyes out, asking me why we couldn't do more for him! And I don't have an answer, because why could we not stop the bullying?'

'Because what happens at Hogwarts is out of our jurisdiction,' Neville said quietly, 'but that is changing Harry. This new campaign is going to fix that, we can set up an office in the school so that a counsellor can be there for the kids.'

'But the board have to accept it,' Hermione pointed out.

'The board will accept it,' Harry said firmly, 'and we're going to fix this.'

Neville smiled slightly, 'We'll fix it Harry. But the core issues haven't been fixed at all. People are still bullied for being gay, gay people still can't get married, or adopt children. Even the surrogacy programme at St. Mungo's is closed to them.'

'Then we'll fix it all,' Harry said, the fire in his eyes burning brighter than before, 'all it takes is a little hard work and campaigning. Look what we've done so far! They said I'd never make it as an Auror because I'm gay, and look at me, I'm the best bloody one in the department! We will do this, Neville.'

'You know I'm with you to the end Harry,' Neville smiled gently, 'you don't have to convince me, you'll never have to convince me. I'll always follow you.'

'Like a bloody sheep,' Harry said fondly.

* * *

"**POTTER AND LONGBOTTOM'S LONG FIGHT FOR SAME SEX MARRIAGE TO BE LEGALIZED IS FINALLY OVER!"**

'As of midnight tonight, people like us can get married.'

'You sound stunned,' Hermione whispered, she was holding her daughter, Rose, who was going to turn one on New Year's Day. The little redheaded child had just fallen asleep, after much gurning.

'I am,' Harry said honestly, 'we've been campaigning for them to legalize it for the last 4 years. But…I never thought it would really happen.'

Draco smiled from across the room where he was holding his son, Scorpius, who was just over a year old now. The little blonde boy was asleep, his thumb in his mouth, 'so when's the big day?'

Harry frowned and looked up, 'Huh?'

Daphne grinned, 'You've spent 4 years campaigning for this. You better bloody ask Neville to marry you now!'

'Tonight,' Susan added from where she sat next to her fiancée, Percy Weasley, who just happened to have been elected as Minister for Magic after Kingsley's tenure ended. He was in his third year of office now.

'Tonight?' Harry asked nervously, 'but, it's Christmas Eve.'

'Which makes it all the more romantic,' Hermione grinned, 'he's coming home tonight isn't he? From his latest trip?'

'He's been in Africa for two weeks,' Harry replied.

'Well give him a nice homecoming then, I bet he doesn't know about this yet!' Susan said excitably.

Ron laughed, 'You're getting cold feet now that it's actually legal, aren't you mate?'

'Nah, nah of course not,' Harry said honestly, 'I want to marry Neville, I want to spend my life with him. I'm just a bit, well, in shock that I actually can.'

'Then don't waste this opportunity,' Hermione said as she threw something Harry's way. He caught it with his seekers reflexes and frowned when he looked at it. It was a ring, a simple gold band with a silver streak in the middle.

'It was your Fathers,' Hermione said, 'I got it from your Gringotts vault the last time we went out shopping. I thought you'd need a bit of a nudge when this day came.'

Harry smiled weakly, 'You think of everything Mione.'

'She's rather good like that,' Ron agreed with a smile as Rose curled her hand around his finger in her sleep. They had a baby, just as Draco and Daphne did, and even Susan was engaged. Harry and Neville had no trouble with commitment to each other, they'd even bought a little cottage close to their charity in Hogsmeade but they were the only ones in their friend group who hadn't settled down in that sense.

Harry was pulled from his thoughts when the door to the cottage snapped open. He shoved the ring in his pocket and stood to walk to the door. They were just having a little pre-Christmas get together in the living room as the snow fell around them. They were all drinking egg nog and munching on snacks as they waited for the final member of their group to arrive home.

'Harry!' Neville grinned as he walked towards the slightly shorter man, wrapped up in winter wear and covered in snow. When he reached Harry he grabbed his face, and kissed him. Harry was glad he'd gone to the hallway, because it was really quite an impassioned kiss. But then again, they had been apart for two weeks.

'Welcome home,' Harry said brightly, if a little breathlessly as he pulled away, 'come on, everyone's waiting, I've made egg nog and there's snacks.'

Neville smiled at him, 'Merlin's balls, you really are the woman in this relationship.'

Harry snorted, 'Don't say that or I'll put Frozen on and you'll have to try not to bawl your eyes out in front of our mates.'

They had walked into the living room on those words, and everybody who understood the reference sniggered.

'Wow, did you do this all yourself?' Neville asked as he looked around the living room where a Christmas tree stood proudly, with hundreds of fairies lighting it up, and lights and decorations covered the room.

'Nah, Hermione helped,' Harry said as he sat a mug of eggnog down in front of Neville, 'wasn't the same this year, putting the tree up without you though.'

'I'm sorry,' Neville sighed, 'but I do have good news, so I'm glad everyone is together. I was offered a new job last night.'

Harry frowned a little, 'Does it involve more travelling?'

Neville shook his head and smiled as Scorpius began to wake up and gurn, 'Here, I'll take him Draco.'

Draco, who looked exhausted, happily handed over his son to Neville who began to rock him. The baby almost immediately stopped his gurning, 'No, Harry, it's the opposite actually. It's Pomona, she's tired these days, her bones ache. She asked me to take over as Herbology professor up at the school.'

Harry's eyes widened, 'That's perfect Neville! That's exactly what you've been hoping for!'

'Shh,' Neville hushed through his laughter as the noise began to disturb Scorpius.

Daphne chuckled, 'Harry's so loud, he always wakes him. Give him here Nev, I'll take him into the kitchen and sort out a bottle for him.'

'Here you go,' Neville said gently as he handed the boy over to his mother. He turned back to Harry, 'So you want me to take the job?'

'Of course, I do,' Harry said happily, 'you've wanted it for years. Take it, definitely take it.'

Neville grinned, 'I thought you'd say that. I had no objections to you becoming Assistant Head Auror, even though it meant longer hours because it also meant less fieldwork. This is a similar situation, after all.'

'I think Harry has something to ask you too Neville,' Daphne said as she returned from the adjoining kitchen with a bottle in her hand.

'Oh, what's your news?' Neville asked brightly, 'the owls in Africa were useless, I feel like I've missed so much.'

'Oh you really have,' Susan grinned.

'Are you alright Harry?' Neville asked with a frown, Harry had paled significantly.

Harry nodded, and cleared his throat, 'Well Neville. The thing is, you know I love you, everyone knows that, I don't make it half obvious after all. But, well we've bought this house together and I know we basically intend to be together for our whole lives even if we could never _properly _be together but-'

'Harry, spit it out for Salazar's sake,' Draco interrupted in amusement.

'I was wondering if you'd like to marry me, Neville,' Harry said quickly.

Neville's jaw dropped, 'Marry you?'

Harry nodded and thrust the newspaper, a little too violently in his nervous state, into Neville's hands. He noticed they were shaking as he scanned the headline, and the article. When he looked up he was crying, and Harry laughed weakly, 'I've always said you were more emotional than me.'

'You're serious?'

'No, I'm Harry, Sirius was my Godfather,' Harry joked feebly.

'Harry,' Hermione chastised from the sofa.

'No, Neville, I mean it,' Harry said seriously, he pulled the ring from his pocket and held it out to Neville in the palm of his hand, 'so, will you?'

'Of course I'll marry you, you bloody clueless idiot,' Neville choked out, and somehow Harry managed to put the ring on his finger without crying. They kissed, and Draco jokingly covered Scorpius's eyes as Hermione snapped the moment on her wizarding camera.

The bells in the church down the street rang as they broke apart and Harry grinned at the tearful man in front of him, 'Merry Christmas Nev.'

'Merry Christmas Harry.'

* * *

"**WAR HEROES HARRY POTTER AND NEVILLE LONGBOTTOM BECOME THE FIRST SAME SEX COUPLE TO WED UNDER NEW LEGISLATION!"**

'Honestly, you just had to make the wedding the night before her birthday,' Hermione joked as she straightened Harry's tie.

'Hermione, she's a baby,' Harry said in amusement, 'it's not like she's going to be angry that we're stealing her thunder.'

'Yes, but it's her 1st birthday tomorrow, and you two are her Godfathers. You should be there,' Hermione said.

'Well it's a good thing we decided to wait until the 2nd to head to the states, isn't it?' Harry asked his best friend with a smile.

'You're staying for her birthday?' Hermione asked with relief.

'Hermione, what kind of friend would I be if I missed my Goddaughters 1st birthday?' Harry asked with a shake of his head.

Hermione beamed and hugged him, 'Oh Harry, thank you, I'm so grateful!'

Harry just smiled at her, 'Oi Ted! What's taking so long?'

His 7 year old Godson walked into the room, 'I can't do my tie Uncle Harry.'

'Aw don't worry about it Ted, neither can I,' Harry laughed, 'Aunt Hermione always does mine.'

Hermione smiled fondly at the little boy, 'Come here Teddy, let me sort that out for you.'

Teddy obligingly walked over to Hermione, and Ron ducked into the room, 'Alright mate? We're all set downstairs, just waiting for you and Nev.'

'I bet he's already ready,' Harry said in amusement.

Ron grinned, 'Yeah Draco said they're waiting for you, and he told me to tell you that you're definitely the woman.'

'Who did, Draco or Neville?'

'Neville,' Ron laughed.

'Yeah well, I like to take my time,' Harry said defensively as he began to shuffle from foot to foot.

'Honestly Harry, I have no idea why you're so nervous,' Hermione said as she finished Teddy's tie, 'this is Neville. You've been together for 6 years now, what's the big deal?'

'The big deal is that this is the first wedding in the wizarding world where two men have gotten married,' Harry said as he blew out a breath, 'I mean it's not really a wedding is it? We walk down the aisle together, we agree to be man and man? It's like an anti-wedding.'

Hermione suppressed a giggle, and Teddy said, 'But Uncle Harry, you love each other. And it doesn't matter if a man loves a man or a woman does it? You can marry anyone that you love.'

Harry smiled at his Godson, 'How very wise of you Teddy,' he said as he picked the little boy up, and ruffled his hair, 'come on then, we have a wedding to get to.'

It was a small evening wedding on New Year's Eve, in the back garden of their little cottage. Hermione had spelled it to stay warm, even though it was snowing. The guests were few, and there were definitely no reporters, or photographers amongst them. It was intimate, private and perfect. And it didn't matter that they were agreeing to be man and man, husband and husband, or whatever. It mattered that for the first time ever they had been able to commit to each other with more than words. They had agreed to both keep their own names, so nothing much was going to change after marriage, or at least, so they thought.

* * *

**"ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR HEALTH HERMIONE GRANGER CHALLENGES THE BAN ON SAME SEX COUPLES USING ST. MUNGO'S SURROGACY PROGRAMME!"**

'So you're actually doing this?'

'Of course I am!' Hermione fumed, 'this is the wizarding world! We have the magic available to create a child, from the DNA of two men, and yet we don't because it's '_wrong'_! It's ridiculous, as long as the two men can find a surrogate happy to do it, then what is the problem?'

'Are you doing this because you think it's wrong, or are you doing it for us, Hermione?' Harry asked simply.

'Of course I'm doing it for you,' Hermione replied, 'for both of you. You've been together for 10 years, and married for 4 of those years! Between you both you are Godfathers to 8 children, and all you want is your own! Why shouldn't you be able to have them?'

Neville smiled at their friend, 'We appreciate that Hermione. But it's not something that's going to change quickly it's-'

'It's already done,' Hermione said, a smug smile slipping onto her face, 'I asked for Draco's help, and he was more than willing to help me out. You know he's the best wizarding lawyer in the country, the legislation is changing, within weeks.'

'Seriously?' Harry asked in surprise.

'Seriously,' Hermione replied, 'the only thing you need to find is someone willing to carry the baby. I mean I'd offer, I thought about it, but Ron wasn't so keen on the idea. And Hugo is still breastfeeding so-'

'No, don't be ridiculous,' Neville said quickly, 'you've done enough for us already, more than enough. We would never dream of asking any of you, not when you all have young kids that need you.'

'I don't know who we could ask, mind you,' Harry said, the hope in his voice fading away.

'I do,' Neville said with a smile, 'Luna.'

Harry frowned, and Hermione chuckled, 'Luna, of course.'

'The twins aren't too young now, and you know she would say yes, in a heartbeat,' Neville said.

'I know,' Harry said softly.

They were all silent.

'Are we actually doing this?' Neville asked, 'are we actually going to have kids?'

Harry grinned, 'Well, now is as good a time as ever. We're hitting 30 next year, after all.'

* * *

"**FIRST SURROGATE BABIES BORN WITH THE DNA OF TWO FATHERS!"**

'You realise we haven't even thought of names?' Neville asked as he sat on one side of Luna's hospital bed, while Harry sat on the other, both of them holding a small baby.

'A boy and a girl,' Harry murmured, 'isn't that odd Luna? How your own children were twins, and these two are as well.'

'The best things come in pairs,' Luna said thoughtfully, 'my Mother always used to say that.'

'These two are certainly the best thing I've ever seen,' Neville said as he stared at the baby girl in his arms. They looked like Harry and Neville, which was something that still amazed Harry. They weren't identical, but they both had Neville's mousy brown hair, and Harry's emerald green eyes, they had been born premature as was often the case with twins, and although they were tiny they were perfect.

'We should name them after our parents,' Harry said as the thought struck him.

'Alice Lily Longbottom-Potter.'

'I think Lily Alice sounds better,' Harry mused, 'and Frank James Longbottom-Potter.'

Neville smiled, he hadn't taken his eyes off of his daughter since the healer had handed her to him, 'I think they sound perfect.'

'Oh the names would suit them beautifully,' Luna agreed with a yawn.

'Get some sleep Luna,' Neville said gently as he tore his eyes away from his daughter to look at his best friend, 'you must be exhausted.'

He had barely gotten the sentence out before she fell asleep. Neville moved to the other side of the bed and sat down next to Harry. They wouldn't have long until the visitors began piling in, and Hermione and Ron, and Draco and Daphne, both had two children now. Rose had gained a little brother in Hugo, who was now 2 years old, and Scorpius had gotten a little sister in Callidora, who was a little older, nearly 3 years old now. Susan and Percy had gotten married, and now had 1 and half year old Molly. Harry and Neville were last, but they had been lucky enough to be blessed with two little miracles.

'Lily, and Frank,' Harry breathed as he watched the babies move closer to each other in their sleep, 'they're perfect.'

'Are you crying?' Neville asked gently.

Harry nodded, he didn't even attempt to hide his tears, or quickly wipe them away like he normally did.

'I never thought I'd see this day Neville,' Harry said tearfully, 'when I fell in love with you, I told myself that I was making a choice. I chose you, but by doing that I gave up any chance I had at a normal life, any chance I had of ever having a family…but look at them…look at their hair, and their eyes, and even their noses…it's the same shape yours was before I broke it.'

'There's no denying that they are ours,' Neville said as tears brimmed behind his own eyes, 'and I never thought I'd see this day either, Harry. I never thought people like us would be able to get married, but we prove everyone wrong. They said we could never be together like a man and a woman, but we're married, and we have two beautiful children.'

'They said I'd never make it to Head Auror,' Harry said as a smile played at his lips, 'but I did, and they say I'm the best since Kingsley.'

'Aren't you glad you didn't marry Ginny, all those years ago?' Neville asked, an amused smile on his lips.

'So glad,' Harry said honestly as he caught Neville's eye, 'we've had the best life, Neville. And these two are just the cherry on top of the cake. We've seen the world, we've gotten our dream jobs, and we have so many perfect Godchildren. That would have been enough for me, _you _would always have been enough for me….but this…'

He trailed off as he ran his hand over Frank's face, and the baby boy smiled at his touch. His voice was lost in his throat, and Neville gripped Harry's free hand. His own voice was rough with emotion when he finally choked out, 'This, is perfection.'

**The End! :)  
**

**A/N: Really hope you have all enjoyed the story guys and thanks for sticking with it till the end! I was bawling my eyes out writing this last scene...**

**Thanks so much for reading! :)  
**

**xxx**


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